Apprenticed To A Slug
by Assassin of War
Summary: He wanted to be the same as his peers, yet he did not want to take the same path. Taking lives to help his village was a goal, but it was not his. Instead, he wanted to save them.
1. Chapter 1

_**Apprenticed To A Slug**_

_**~So, as you've read, this is a new story from me. This is going to differentiate from what I normally write. I honestly don't know how well I'm going to do with this one because of the route I want to take, but hopefully I can make it work.~**_

"Katon" – Regular Speech

_'Suiton' – Flashback/Thought Speech_

_**'Raiton' – Demon/Summon Speech**_

"_**Doton" – Jutsu Speech**_

* * *

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**_

* * *

– _**Konoha Hospital –**_

* * *

"Ouch!"

"Don't be such a baby." said a feminine voice, sternly. "You're a big boy now, right Naruto-kun?" asked the same voice.

"Yeah..." replied the now named Naruto, rubbing his arm. "But that still doesn't mean I like needles." he mumbled.

Uzumaki Naruto, son of Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato, and sole brother to Namikaze Kiyomi, didn't like getting his shots. Which was quite ironic since he absolutely found the field of medicine much more fascinating than most ninja arts. He still wanted to be a shinobi, but not one who takes lives. Instead he wants to save them; he wants to be a medical-nin.

Although he was not dumb enough to believe he would never take a life. His parents had instilled in him that the chances of him having to fight for his life one day out in the field, regardless what profession he took, were a very real prospect.

People often found it odd how smart he was for a five year old. But then many people gave one look at him and understood. Physically, he is a perfect cross between his parents. He has his father' blue eyes, ears, and jawline while he inherited his mouth, nose, and crimson hair from his mother. Though, neither knew where his lighter skin complexion came from, and chalked it up to getting it from one of his grandparents; whoever they were.

He often thought it was funny how his outward appearance resembled his mother the most yet he acted like his father. When his sister resembled their father the most yet acted more like their mother.

"So, when are your parents coming to pick you up?" asked the doctor, reading his chart. She knew his mother had checked him in, but since she didn't have a return time, she couldn't very well leave the child all alone.

Naruto eyed his doctor. Her name was Maru Chie. She's been his personal doctor for as long as he can remember. Her skin was as white as snow, hair as dark as night, and her eyes as golden as the sun hanging in the sky. To him, she was very easy to recognize because she was so unique looking.

He's always liked her(except when she gives him shots), and she was always really nice to him, even taking him on tours around the hospital. It was during one of these tours when he had first become interested in medicine, still remembering seeing someone use chakra to heal a person. He couldn't remember a lot of things, but that one always stuck out to him.

"They're gonna get me in a little while."

"Hm, I see...Naruto?"

"Mm?"

"Why don't you share a similar name to your father?" After reading his chart she found it odd how the rest of the family went by Namikaze, yet he didn't.

"I took that my name because I want to bring the Uzumaki clan back, but in Konoha." This was one of his primary goals. "My sister was born a few seconds before me, so by right, she is heir to my father' name." he explained.

Chie somewhat understood the laws regarding shinobi and their children since she dealt with many ninja in her office, and saw how it applied in this situation. Namikaze wasn't a clan, at least not before Minato became Hokage, by right, his name was established as a clan. All that remained was to fill the ranks, which would take years admittedly, but the whole thing was to have them recognized as a clan before that happened.

"Okay, that explains that, but what about you?"

"Uzumaki would have eventually faded or been assimilated into Namikaze." Chie wasn't surprised he knew such big words, she knew how smart he was first hand. "There are no such things as joint clans, even though people say otherwise. If the two clans joined, Namikaze would be the dominate clan due to my father being a Kage."

Chie slowly processed his words and was nodding slowly. It was similar to how when two people wed, the woman, on most occasions, takes the man' surname. She guessed the situation was the same here.

"I didn't want the clan to fade out of existence, not after all the stories my mother told me about them. I knew then what I wanted to do, so when I turn eighteen or reach Jōnin rank, I will become head of the Uzumaki clan."

Chie was simply astonished that the boy in front of her already knew what he wanted and had taken steps to insure it happen. Most adults couldn't even do that.

"I see, how do your parents feel about this?"

A large smile appeared on his face. "They support my decision wholeheartedly. They were afraid I would resent my sister because of her status, but my solution solved that problem."

"How are you going to revive the clan, Naruto-kun?" Last she heard, the clan was all but destroyed or scattered. The only reason she was even privy to such information was because she was caring for the last three Uzumaki and she needed to know just how the clan' physiology worked. She was astounded at just what people from this clan could survive from.

"I'm sure there are some out there in the world just waiting to be found." he stated, full of confidence.

"Or you can just repopulate the clan yourself~" teased Chie, knowing a smart boy like Naruto would figure it out. After all, if he wanted to be a medic-nin, then he would need to know the workings of both sexes.

On cue, he blushed a deep crimson. He looked away from her. "I'm going to be like my dad. Only one." he muttered.

"Oh? Just one? That's not enough to build a clan." She shook her head. "Why not two? Or three?"

He blushed even harder, his entire head resembled a cherry.

"I'm just kidding." she giggled. "Or am I?" She could no longer stave off her laughter. The last face Naruto had made had pushed her too far. Her patient was just so fun to tease. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself." said Chie, wiping a tear away.

His head was buried in his knees, refusing to make eye contact with her.

"How about we take another tour of the hospital?" She knew this would bring him out of his embarrassment, and it was an apology from her. "We can do this until your mom gets here."

His head snapped up, eyes lighting up. "Yeah!" he cheered. Hopefully, he would be shown an area he had yet to see.

Chie smiled at his enthusiasm. Holding out her hand for him, they walked out of the examination room.

* * *

– _**Hokage Office –**_

* * *

The office of the Yondaime Hokage was currently empty, save for two people.

"Are you positive he said this."

"Yeah. I was pretty surprised when he told me right as I dropped him off for his appointment."

"I see." said the voice belonging to the fourth fire shadow, Minato. "Well, it doesn't matter. Regardless of what he chooses, we will support him to our fullest." He looked to his wife of six years, wondering what she thought about this.

"I agree with you. Both of our babies shouldn't have to be anything they don't want to be. They have choices of being whatever they want in this day and age." replied Kushina. It was more than either of them had, but those were also during turbulent times. They were currently in times of peace.

They knew about their son wanting to take over the role of Uzumaki clan leader one day, and they had agreed, but they didn't know he also wished to be a medic-nin. It had only been over an hour ago when Kushina had heard it straight from their son' mouth, but in the end it didn't really matter. They would support him on this as well.

Minato agreed with her on that last statement. "Let's also not forget that just because he wishes to be a medical-nin, that it doesn't mean he's any weaker. I think Tsunade is evidence of that." He pointed out, and no sooner had the words escaped his lips did a light bulb go off.

Kushina saw the gears beginning to turn in her husband' head, knowing when he had an idea. She calmly waited for him to finish.

"I think I may have an idea that would not only brighten Naruto's future, but also make him stronger as a result." He would need to shuffle some things around, call in a few favors, but he was positive he could get her to return, if even for a moment. He could potentially kill two birds with one stone here.

"Oh? Do tell."

Minato began to explain to his wife his brilliant idea, and she had to admit that it held merit. If it worked, then not only would her son receive first class training, but Konoha would become stronger as a result.

Kushina continued to the specifics while sneaking glances to the clock on the wall. It was time to return to the hospital.

"Well, I'll leave you to continue to iron out the details while I go and get Naruto. You got Kiyomi?" It had been one of the rare times he had been excused from his schooling. His sister on the other hand complained up a storm about not getting a day off. She had shut up once she had heard where her brother was going and what was going to be done. She ran to school.

Minato looked at his clock as well and noted his daughter would be out in two hours which meant he could still get some more work done. "Yeah, I got her."

Kushina nodded and picked up her son' staff, holding it tenderly. This had been the last gift the Sandaime, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had given her son before he had given his life sealing away the Kyūbi into her two children. The children would be orphans today had he not done that, giving Minato and herself another chance at life; a chance to be a family.

She prayed for him everyday, thanking him for this opportunity. The staff itself was very unique. It was carved from Mokuton wood, something Hiruzen had been keeping to remember his sensei, but then figured it would do better protecting someone as a weapon rather than gathering dust. In it's base state, it was a short staff of about 4ft, but when chakra was added, it extended into a long staff of 6ft.

There was a seal on the staff, it had been the first once created by Naruto. They had taught him the art of sealing last year, and already he was beginning to advance past basic sealing. The seal was designed as a lock of sorts so no one other than him could use the staff to it's fullest potential, but it also came with a very ingenious surprise attack. The staff would suddenly extend past it's 6ft and aim for wherever Naruto had it positioned. The attack was meant as an illusion to trick the eyes since all the eyes saw was the tip, never it traveling towards them at high speeds.

The Sarutobi clan had taught her son some of their basic Bōjutsu and Jōjutsu exercises and forms, as was the wish of the late Kage. Originally, it had been decided upon by Minato and herself to have Hiruzen and Biwako as Naruto's godparents. The elder Kage had been honored and couldn't wait to teach her son, but alas, fate does not always allow for such things, she should know.

She would have rather taken the Bijū back into herself and risked death than seal it into her two children.

Her little girl, always energetic and loud, just like her. She had received the yang portion of chakra from the Kyūbi. Kiyomi represented life and light; that which illuminates the paths taken.

Naruto on the other hand, always calm, composed, and thinking. So much like his father. He had received the yin chakra. He represented death and darkness; that which covers the paths and spreads the unknown.

"Alright then. I gotta go and pick Naruto up." she said. "I'll see you at home." Kushina leaned onto the desk, pressing her breasts against the hard top and gave her husband a kiss. "Bye."

* * *

– _**Naruto –**_

He was currently sitting in the cafeteria, located in the basement of the hospital, eating a vanilla pudding cup. Chie had taken him around to meet a few new people. They were the people who cleaned the hospital, or more precisely the rooms. He honestly didn't see why they were so important if all they did was clean, at least compared to those saving lives.

Chie had lightly scolded him, informing him that the people who clean are just as important. They were responsible for making sure the rooms which held patients were no longer infected. That way, they could move in people who were sick or hurt.

She explained that if even a spot of blood isn't cleaned or missed, then the chances of whatever the previous patient had would still be in the room. Naruto got the point when she brought up his family and how if they ever got sick and were put in such a room, the they could get even sicker because the blood wasn't cleaned.

That was something he didn't want. Not only for his family, but everybody.

Naruto had never realized just how important these people were. He had always ignored them whenever he came for a checkup or muttered a small hello. It was then he had realized that no matter if a person be a doctor, nurse, or a cleaning person, they all had one singular goal: To Save Lives. They all just had different ways of doing it.

After learning such things, he had mentioned he wanted to learn more. Chie, in response, had taken him to the small library the hospital had and checked him out two books. One was on human anatomy while the other was how chakra was utilized in medicine. Both of them written by Senju Tsunade.

"I can't wait to read these." He sent Chie his biggest smile.

"What can't you wait to read, Naru-chan?" He froze and blushed.

"Moooom..." He was so embarrassed. "Don't call me that." Naruto turned away from Chie.

Kushina giggled at her son, easily spotting the small crush he had on his doctor. "No matter how big or old you get, you'll always be my little Naru-chan." Just to embarrass him some more, she pinched his cheek.

The dark blue hoodie he was wearing came in handy right now. He grabbed the hood and pulled it over his face, revealing the crimson Uzumaki clan symbol on the back. Naruto couldn't bear to be seen right now and quickly grabbed his books, his mothers hand, and rushed towards an exit.

"Bye! I'll see you later!" he shouted. Kushina grinned cheekily as she to waved goodbye to the doctor, trying to keep up with her son pulling her.

"Kukuku...I'll see you later as well, Naruto-kun."

* * *

_**~Namikaze Residence~**_

Naruto had went straight to his room after the whole embarrassing debacle at the hospital. His mother hadn't stopped her teasing until they had reached the front door of their house.

"Lunch will be ready in five minutes!" They were having sandwich's, quick and easy.

"Alright!"

He placed the two books he was borrowing from Chie on his personal bookshelf with his others, and instead of getting started on them, he took out another. He went downstairs.

Kushina had seen him coming with book under arm. "Naruto, what have I said about reading at the table?" She tapped her foot, waiting patiently.

"Heh, whoops. Totally forgot about that." He knew it annoyed his mother when he brought things to the table when they were about to eat. He was playing with fire, he knew that, but he wanted to get her back somehow for earlier, and this is all that came to mind, that wouldn't get him in serious trouble.

Kushina rolled her eyes and took the book from her son, it read: Fūinjutsu for intermediate beginners. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that her son was progressing so fast in this art. The art of sealing was all about math, length, physics, chakra proportion, tenacity, and imagination. All of which her son had.

It really was genius of Minato to have begun Naruto and Kiyomi' training so early on when their minds were still developing and malleable. The reason why was because the views of the mind started to get rigid the older a person got. Once the imagination and very belief of creating something outrageous went out the door, it never returned. So it was imperative they cultivate this in their children.

They had started this practice very very early on. From reading to them when they were infants, or just talking to them. It was all so they could expand their minds.

It was one of the reasons they had decided to enroll them in public school. What better way to cultivate minds of children than with other children. The other reason was so the two of them could create bonds with the civilian children who would one day take over their family's business. It would also give them a better understanding of the common man if either of them ever managed to be Hokage. In two years though, they would most likely enroll them in the ninja academy with the other clan heirs; establishing more bonds.

Everything worked out in a way that they let their children decide their own futures while still strengthening Konoha as a whole.

"Done!"

Kushina turned to her son hopping off his seat, having finished his lunch.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"Out back." he answered, grabbing his book. "Gonna do some chakra control while I read about seals." His parents had been explicit when they told him he would only practice with ink and scroll under their supervision. He would not do anything more advanced yet, but just because he couldn't put it into practice didn't mean he couldn't read about it.

"Don't you wanna wait for your sister?" She really wished Kiyomi had taken after her brother in the study and school habits department. It seemed her daughter took far to much after herself in that regard.

"Nope."

Kushina sighed. While she often wished for her daughter to be more like her brother, it was vice versa as well. Kiyomi was very social, had many friends, and was very outgoing. Naruto on the other hand was introverted, didn't have many friends(not his age anyways), and tended to stay at home more often than not.

It honestly worried her, but her husband assured her that it would change as time went by. Especially when he was enrolled in the ninja academy. So for now all she could do was believe in her husband' words.

* * *

"Let's see here..." Naruto was on the ground flipping through pages of his book. He had placed three leaves, one on his forehead, two on his cheeks, and added chakra. "The art of sealing is more than just adding chakra to a seal. It involves knowledge of many things, the highest being imagination." he read.

He continued. "Imagination is what gives birth to ideas, and it is through ideas that we continue to innovate and move forward in the ever changing world..."

Naruto had lost track of time and before he knew it darkness had fallen all around him. The words the author of the book said were just so enthralling to him. Many of which he agreed with. Without the use of imagination, then many of the seals in the world would never have existed.

The fire that had been started when his parent had first shown him seals only grew the more he learned about the art, and the book was only strengthening those flames. While being a medic-nin, and reviving the Uzumaki clan were two goals of his, they certainly weren't his only two. Both of his parents were seal masters and he one day wanted to stand above them.

Another thing that was on his radar but wasn't entirely sure about, depending who asked, was whether he would go for the mantle of Hokage after his father stepped down. He honestly wasn't sure, since he knew medics weren't supposed to be front line fighters or instigate fights, they were supposed to protect people, which he guessed also feel in line with being a medic. Even if he were to consider the option, he didn't know if he would even have the skills or power to be the Hokage, but who knows, he certainly didn't know. Perhaps his view of the world would change as he grew older.

He gathered his things and went inside for dinner, already hearing his sister shouting something at the table.

* * *

_**~One Year Later~**_

"Hurry up mom!" whined Kiyomi.

Naruto shook his head at his older sister. She was just so impatient, which wasn't a good trait to have, especially if she was going to be a kunoichi. Her sun-kissed golden blonde hair had grown over the past year, now reaching her shoulders and would soon reach her back, much like their mother'. Also, like their mother, she had inherited her violet eyes, distinguishing them further.

He was a bit miffed though. She was currently taller than him despite being the same age. He did learn though that girls grow faster than boys in the beginning, but in the end boys eventually grow even more. She also had a mild obsession with the color red, or more precisely the color that he and his mother shared. She would always ruffle his hair while rubbing her face in it, and often heard her saying she wished her hair was crimson like theirs.

"You need to calm down, Kiyomi." said Kushina, sternly. "Patience is a virtue." Minato, who had a few hours off before he had to go back to the office, would have snorted. His wife wasn't exactly one to preach patience when they were growing up, but he remained silent. Why? Because he preferred to keep his manhood intact.

"Your mother is right." he added, silently patting himself on the back for that one. And judging by the look his wife sent him, he had done good.

"Now, we're going to determine your nature affinity today." Before Kiyomi could start gushing, Minato interrupted his wife to stop his daughter before she could get started.

"This however does not mean we are going to teach you techniques." he stated. "You will practice nature transformation under our guidance and when we feel you have reached an adequate level, then and only then will we start technique training." He needed them to understand this and not get their hopes up. This was after all just a way for them to plan things out later on.

"Thank you for that dear." Kushina smiled lovingly at her husband. "I have two chakra papers in my hand, one for each of you. Channel your chakra into them and let's find out what your most attuned with."

She handed both pieces of paper over to her children, both of them holding onto them gingerly. Almost afraid to hold them tighter in fear of messing something up. Seeing as the paper wasn't as fragile as they believed, they finally did as instructed.

Minato and Kushina studied both of their children and first watched as Kiyomi' piece of paper showed reaction first. It slightly split down the middle before the paper evaporated into a small pool of water in her hand. Both were surprised to see she had two affinities right off the bat.

"Wasn't expecting that, but congratulations nonetheless Kiyomi. You have two affinities." stated Minato.

"Whoo!" Kiyomi cheered loudly. "I got two!" Everyone smiled at her joy, and turned their attention to the remaining person and were once more surprised.

Naruto had two as well, but the only difference was his were both equally strong. Unlike his sister' who's affinity for water was higher.

"Congrats son." Naruto looked up to his father and mother. "You have an affinity for lightning and earth."

It was definitely two of the more weird combinations he's seen sprout up since neither nature complimented the other, but beggars can't be choosers. They would make this work. Even though neither he nor Kushina new any techniques for either of his affinities.

'Perhaps I can see about Kakashi teaching Naruto for a bit." mused Minato. It was a decent idea since his student no doubt had numerous techniques from various elements copied.

The only emotion Naruto had shown was his large smile, but on the inside he was jumping for joy. He wasn't sure about the earth affinity, but he was glad to have lightning. He had prayed for it. It would help him in the long run for becoming a medic-nin since the body dealt with electrical signals all the time. This would surely benefit him.

"This is so cool, huh Naruto!" exclaimed Kiyomi.

"...Yeah, it is." he replied, smiling.

Before the family could proceed any further, an Anbu dropped down behind them.

"What's the problem?" Minato had switched from his fatherly personality to his Hokage mindset. Now only stood the warrior.

"She is a few minutes away." It was all the masked one said before vanishing. The only two who were confused with the whole thing were the siblings.

Minato and Kushina on the other hand knew what the shinobi meant. They had finally located the elusive woman and she was on her way. It had taken much, mostly bribery, but it had been done.

"I have to go." Minato gave his family an apologetic look. "When I get back from the office, we can decide what the next step in your training is going to be after this." he said, and then he was gone.

* * *

– _**Hokage Office –**_

* * *

Minato appeared in his seat, hoping he got there before the woman did, whom he knew would be annoyed. He didn't. Staring at him were two chocolate brown orbs that belonged to a woman whose beauty and skill were unparallelled.

He composed himself. "Thank you for coming, Tsunade." greeted Minato. Senju Tsunade, granddaughter and grandniece to the Shodai and Nidaime Hokages. Her blonde hair framed her beautiful face as her grass-green haori held her unmatchable bust, according to his sensei anyways. She is one of the most powerful kunoichi in the world, and she didn't look happy.

"Cut the pleasantries brat." she replied, rudely. "Why did you call me back for? Kushina isn't pregnant again is she?" Tsunade had been the midwife when Kushina had the two children, but due to her fear of blood, she had been useless in the fight against the man who had taken Naruto. All she did was move Kiyomi out of harms way and watched her teacher die from the sidelines.

"No, it's not that." He silently thanked whatever god existed above for that. He couldn't deal with the crying and constant mood swings, from both baby and Kushina. "I called you here for a different reason."

"Well, get to the point." she growled out. The sooner she was done here, the faster she could leave.

"I...No, not just me." he said. "Kushina and myself would very much appreciate if you could teach Naruto."

Tsunade actually stopped whatever rebuttal she had in place, and just stared at him. "That's what you called me back for? To teach your baby brat? Why should I even bother?"

"Well, it would be as a favor to me and Kushina. Plus, he's really talented. Reads a lot of medical books published by you."

Despite her ostentatious behavior from before, she couldn't deny the fact she was interested. It wasn't very often she found others who were talented and wanted to learn in the field of medicine. She knew it wasn't hyperbole when Minato spoke, even if this was his own son. The man just wasn't built like that, perhaps Kushina, but not him.

"What's in it for me?" She wasn't outright denying nor accepting the request, and Minato knew that. This was his chance to secure the future for one of his children while still working on getting his sensei back to the village to train Kiyomi.

While they would indeed train her, they wanted her to gain as many skills as she could while learning from different people. It was the reason he was trying to get Tsunade to train Naruto, that way, when they finally came back, both he and Kushina could train him in other things.

"Well, aside from molding a young mind, I am prepared to pay off your debts using my funds." he started. "I will also begin to put together a program that will ensure there are medic-nin in every four man cell." He hoped that this would be enough for her. The money itself was nothing to him, if his children benefited from it then it was a worthy investment. The medic-nin program however had a deeper meaning. He was hoping to provoke her into coming back into the village and run it once she was done teaching his son.

Tsunade bit her lip. She honestly didn't care about the money since she always ran away from her debt collectors anyway, but the program was something she had been trying to establish for a very long time now. Despite not being in Konoha, she did not want anymore needless deaths because teams were ill-prepared to treat wounds or toxins, the medic in her just would let her.

Her goal was right before her eyes. All she had to do was say yes.

"If I do take you up on this..." she began. "Then I want to do this my way. I decide what and how to teach him. I don't want any outside interference." she stated, standing firm.

"That is agreeable-"

"...And I want to do this outside of the village."

Minato had stopped mid-sentence, and had hoped she wouldn't have brought it up. He had been hoping she would have stayed within the village of her own accord, but it seems he was wishing for to much. He sighed. It was either not go through with this and screw Naruto out of a possible future, or have him go but not interact with his family, friends, and other clan heirs when the time came.

"Is there nothing I can say or do to persuade you to remain within these walls?" He knew it was a foolhardy question to ask, but he still had to give it a shot.

"No." she stated, firmly. This was something that she would be obstinate about.

"Is this a deal breaker?"

"Yes." She valued her freedom above all else, and did not want to stay in the village that had taken so much from her.

"I see." In reality, Minato already had his answer. He could have easily just pulled rank since she was still technically a shinobi of this village, but he didn't want to deal with the headache of her possibly forcing her way out and something going amiss. Not only would it paint a bad picture about his authority and the village, but he would then have to possibly deal with his sensei, and he didn't even want to think about what would happen should one of his shinobi accidentally kill Tsunade in defense.

He knew the man was still in love with her after forty plus years, and love made people do strange and stupid things. He didn't know what the man would do if that scenario were to ever go down.

Looking at Tsunade, he knew his son would be safe with one-third of the Sannin yet this just didn't sit right with him. There was an uneasy feeling about all of this. The woman was powerful, there was no denying this, she was also very good at evasion and stealth, considering none of her debt collectors had caught her nor any other shinobi found her. But how would she protect Naruto should she face more than one or two enemies?

He also had to add in the fact that she probably had to protect Shizune, and granted, he didn't know the level of skill the young lady possessed. But he doubted she could take on high level enemies or a group of them alone.

The blonde Hokage still remained silent before giving his answer. "Very well." he agreed. "You can take him out of the village, but I have a few stipulations."

Tsunade frowned, already he was trying to control her. "What are they?" She would hear him out, and depending on what they were she would either accept or refuse.

"Don't travel anywhere near Tsuchi no Kuni." That was his first. While he knew Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage, would not risk starting another war so soon only to garner the same result, the same could not be said about some of the shinobi under his command. Even he had some. He was not naive enough to believe every shinobi under his command followed every order to the letter.

The only remaining Senju agreed with his first demand. "What's the second?" Tsunade already knew to call him by his Uzumaki surname nor would he even be recognized as Minato' son. He was a perfect blend of Kushina as well. She was positive no one would notice unless they were actively looking for it.

"I want you to take these." Minato handed her three of his tri-pronged kunai. "I won't interfere with what you have planned, but should the need _ever_ arise where a situation is spiraling out of control, then do not hesitate to use these. I _will_ be there." Minato didn't care if they were used while he was working, in a meeting, asleep, or just waking up. He would be there.

Tsunade nodded, putting away the three kunai. "Any more?"

"Yes." he nodded. "One more. I want to assign a bodyguard-"

"Don't need them."

"...He isn't going to be a visible one nor is he going to interfere. The Anbu recently acquired a new recruit, he is very talented and knows how to fight, but he needs experience. This type of mission will serve him well." This was to be deemed a long term mission, something that he would no doubt be doing later while also offering protection from the shadows, another thing he will be doing in the future.

It really was too bad the boy had joined the darkness. He was positive he and his son would have hit it off perfectly. Perhaps once the mission was over they would meet when his mask wasn't on.

"How talented?"

"Prodigious." He wasn't lying when he said this. "All he needs is experience, he knows how to follow orders and only you will know he's there. If anything, you will be the commanding officer for him on this mission of his."

Tsunade remained silent. Normally she would have refused the help, and had it been someone who was visibly trying to protect them, then she would have. She didn't need that, she was enough. But even she couldn't detect all the threats, and having someone from the shadows to watch over not only Naruto, but Shizune as well, it was a weight off her shoulders.

"...Very well. I agree to your stipulations." She shook his hand and went to inform Shizune of the agreement and to start gathering supplies for the trip ahead. Meanwhile, she and Minato would be taking a trip to see her newest student.

* * *

_**~Namikaze Residence~**_

"We're back."

Kushina heard her husband' voice inside of the house and went to greet him. She wasn't that surprised to see Tsunade with him and greeted her as well.

"Since you're here, then I'm guessing everything went well?"

Minato inwardly frowned and sighed. "I think you should sit down."

So began the long explanation of what had just recently transpired, and it was as he guessed. She was not happy. Kushina would have lunged for Tsunade, screaming at her for taking her baby boy away from home but was held back.

"But what about his school!? Or the ninja academy?!" She was grasping at straws here. Trying to say anything that would deter him leaving. "That stuff is important to ya know."

Tsunade snorted in disdain when the words ninja academy were brought up. She had taken a glance at the curriculum being taught nowadays, it was laughable. Even if they weren't at war.

"I think learning history from a person who actually knew, albeit shortly, the Shodai and Nidaime Hokages is better suited to teach it." Kushina couldn't refute that point. "Plus, he's still going to receive his basic education. Shizune has that covered. I will teach him the rest."

"But, but..."

"Enough already Kushina." whispered Minato. He knew it was tough, but they had to push through this. All of this was so their kids could have a better future.

"Where is the brat anyways?"

"Yeah, where is he?" repeated Minato. "And where's Kiyomi?"

"She's outside practicing." replied Kushina. "Naruto went to the library to return a few books. Said he would be back in a few minutes."

"Oh." Well, that was fine. As long as Naruto wasn't there overly long. "C'mon, I've already introduced Jiraiya-sensei to the kids, they've yet to meet you."

Tsunade followed after him as they went into the back to introduce her to his daughter, Kushina trailing behind them.

* * *

– _**Naruto –**_

Having returned the books he had checked out some time ago, he was ready to head on back home to continue his training when he spotted something. It was practically calling out to him.

Traveling over to the medical section, he spotted the book that had been calling out to him. He shivered when he read the title.

"Acupuncture &amp; Acupressure: A Beginners Guide."

He knew acupuncture dealt with needles and he assumed acupressure must have been similar to what the Hyūga clan could do. Often he found himself wondering just what it was like having the Byakugan, being able to see the chakra paths and such. It would be a great tool for medics.

He walked over to the librarian and gave her his book and card.

"I'll take this one."

The elderly woman behind the desk in the library looked up from what she was doing and smiled. One of her regular patrons was looking to check out another book. She nodded her head, stamped it, gave him a smile and sent him on his way.

"Heh, I can't wait to get this home and read it."

As he continued his trek back home, his curiosity got the better of him. Despite hating needless and what they did, he opened up his book and started on the first chapter.

* * *

Naruto had paused in his reading, stopping halfway through the first chapter. He hated doing that, especially when it was getting good, but the reason he stopped was because he was in front of his door. He had been so engrossed that he had failed to realize he had made it all the way home. Boy would his mom be mad at him if she ever found out he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings.

"I'm home!"

"Ah, Naruto." He was surprised to hear his father's voice so soon already. "Can you come into the living room. We need to have a talk."

_'Uh oh.'_

He wanted to bolt right back out the front door when he heard the words "need" and "talk" in the same sentence since those were never good together. He was positive he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Coming."

No sooner had he entered into view did he stop, seeing who was sitting next to his parents. She was one of the reasons why he found the medical field in general so fascinating. Senju Tsunade was in his home, it took some serious self control to stop from gushing. Sure, he had met his dad's sensei, but all the man did was point out all the breasts, butts, and special places of the ladies in all the medical books he was reading.

He liked the man, but he felt the man was a bit too laid back. He didn't understand why his sister liked him so much, probably because they're both so like each other. But this was different, she was different from her teammate, or at least he hoped she was.

"Please tell me you're different from Ero-Sennin?" Were the first words out of his mouth.

Minato sighed, but still found himself chuckling lightly at the nickname. Kushina and Tsunade had no reservations and burst out laughing.

"Why do you call him that?" Tsunade could barely speak the words in-between her laughter.

The blonde Hokage quickly explained the situation that wouldn't put his sensei in even hotter water that he was when he himself had found out. Had Kushina been the one to find out, oh man, Jiraiya wouldn't be called "Ero-Sennin" as Naruto put it, no, he was be called the music man. Making a sound every time he walked. Minato shivered and unconsciously covered his manhood.

"Heh, I think you and me are going to get along just fine."

Naruto was puzzled by this, why would she say that. "What do you mean, Tsunade-sama?"

Her eyes lit up. "Scratch that, I think I may be in love." she teased. "He's smart, cute, and respectful. He's the ideal man. Can I have him?" she asked, jokingly.

"Nope, he's all mine." replied Kushina, pulling her son into a deep hug while kissing his forehead.

Meanwhile, Minato watched the whole interaction and hid his smirk. It seemed his son could charm the ladies without even trying. His sensei would be jealous.

"Moooom..." Seeing his son squirm was funny, but he figured it was time to get down to business.

"What she meant from earlier Naruto was that she has accepted to train you."

"Eh?"

Naruto for once in his short life was left speechless. He had honestly never envisioned this as a possibility that would, or could ever happen to him.

"Yep, your dad and me know how much you want to be a medical-nin. So we did a few things and now your teacher is here." said Kushina, completely glossing over how much it had actually taken to convince the woman in front of them.

All any of them saw was a small red and blue blur tackling his two parents, repeating thank you over and over again.

"However, it's going to be outside of the village." Now that had put a halt on his celebration.

"Outside? Why outside?"

"I have my reasons." answered the busty female.

Naruto was now having second thoughts about this whole thing. Sure he wanted to learn under the best, but not at the cost of having to leave his home and family. It just didn't feel right to him, in fact, it felt really scary.

Minato could see the anxiousness in his eyes.

"Son." Naruto turned to his father. "I can see you debating this now, but you shouldn't. This is a golden opportunity that almost never happens. You have a bright and promising future ahead of you. It's only going to get brighter once you start learning under Tsunade."

The future heir of Uzumaki understood what his father was saying, but he was still really uncomfortable with this.

"He's right, Naruto." This time it was his mother. "Just imagine it. How much stronger you'll get from this, plus you can tell us all of the stories of your travels and brag to your sister about how much stronger you've gotten." Though it was unlikely he would. His sister might once they bring Jiraiya, her godfather, back and force him to remain so he can teach her as well.

As much as Kushina hated that man' perverted streak, she couldn't deny the man was a good teacher. Plus, she was positive her daughter would come out unscathed, like her father, aka not perverted.

"Well, I guess I could try..." Naruto interrupted her musing. "When would we leave?"

"Very soon."

Naruto frowned. "Why so soon?"

"Because the world outside of these walls doesn't wait. Every minute of ever day there is sickness, injury, or death." she stated, bluntly. This was one of the first things she would teach him. "Theory in your books is good and all, but when you don't have experience then it does you little good. Books can't explain the unpredictable or chaos of the world. Things out there are real."

Kushina knew she was speaking the truth since she had seen it many times as a kunoichi, but as a mother she wished the woman had more tact.

Naruto gulped, but nodded. "What else are you going to teach me?"

Tsunade contemplated his words for a silent minute, slightly tracing the rhombus mark on her forehead before speaking.

"How to create and battle toxins, how to heal wounds, fix fractures, but most importantly. How to save a life."

She had briefly thought of teaching him her own personal techniques, but banished those thoughts. The two of them would have to be as close as mother and son for her to teach him those. And in reality, despite them being distantly related, it would still take something paramount for her to agree.

"There are other things I will teach you regarding the role of a medic-nin, but I can teach those to you once we're on the road."

Naruto took a deep breath and exhaled. He could do this. "Let me go pack."

"We actually already did that for you." said Kushina.

"Okay, but I want to take a few personal things. Is that okay?" he asked. Tsunade nodded. He went up to his room.

Kushina turned to Tsunade.

"Do you have all of the scrolls we gave you?"

"Yes." replied Tsunade, annoyed. This was the third time she had been asked the question. The few scrolls she had mostly contained his clothes, currency, quite a few meals, and the kunai given to her by Minato.

"I was just checking is all." mumbled Kushina, pouting. This was her only son after all, she had a right to worry.

Tsunade just rolled her eyes at the mother hen attitude and waited as patiently as she could for Naruto to finish. She had already informed Shizune to meet her at the front gates.

* * *

– _**Naruto –**_

The crimson haired youth left the room and slowly made his way to his room. Opening the door and lightly shutting it closed, he slid downwards.

Taking a deep breath, he looked up and at his room. It was here when the full weight of his choice hit him. In just a few minutes, he would be leaving all he knows behind. His parents, sister, home, what friends he did have; it was all being left behind.

He started to sniffle a bit.

He was going to be all alone out in the big world. He knew he would be safe with Tsunade, but he really didn't know her that well, she didn't feel warm like his mom did. Or at least he didn't feel it when he talked to her.

With a deep breath, he picked himself up and started to pack a few things. Mostly a books. His newest one along with a few fūinjutsu books.

"Guess this is the last time I'm going to see this room." he mumbled. "Or at least for a little while anyways."

He left and closed the door behind him.

* * *

"I'm ready to go."

Kushina saw her son all geared up and ready to go. Ready to get a head start on his life.

"I want you to listen to Tsunade, okay?" She gave him a hug. "Learn everything you can and then come back home to us. We'll be waiting." She was beginning to tear up.

Minato knelt down. "What your mother said." he said, smiling. "Be careful out there son. Know that when things get tough for you, think of your family and keep pushing. We love you."

Naruto wanted to cry but composed himself before he could, though if one looked close enough, you could see the tiny droplet by his eye. He gave his dad a stiff nod.

Tsunade got up from her seat after witnessing the touching scene and felt a bit awkward. She walked over to Naruto, put a hand on his shoulder and getting them ready to meet Shizune. However, before she could, Kushina suddenly leapt at them.

"Wait! I changed my mind!" She had latched herself onto Naruto's legs, refusing to let go. "I can't go through with this, he's my baby boy! I'm going with you!" she exclaimed. She wasn't about to let her baby go out there all alone in the big bad world, as her motherly instincts kicked in.

Minato shook his head, his wife' antics were always over the top. He jumped atop her and slowly began to pry her off with all of his strength, and held her down.

"Get going!" he told the two. "I'll hold her for as long as I can!"

Tsunade rolled her eyes at the whole scene. That was an Uzumaki for you though, she guessed. Always the unpredictable ones they were.

"Minato!" screamed Kushina, angry. "You're so going to get it once I break free!"

The blonde Kage grimaced, he knew his fate when he had grabbed her. But it was all for his son, so it was worth it in his mind.

"I'll tell your sister, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai you said bye." Minato informed his son. The three young adults were the only real friends his son had. The three were like older siblings to him. Asuma especially. Ever since the young man had returned from the employ of the Daimyō, he had been there to help his clan through the loss of not only his own mother, but his father as well.

Naruto nodded, grateful to his father. He had wanted to say goodbye, but then his mom started acting all crazy.

"Bye mom, dad. I love you guys."

Both Tsunade and Naruto vanished.

* * *

Once Naruto and Tsunade were outside of the residence, she hoisted him up and ran for the gates. She was positive she could take Kushina, but she just didn't want to waste any more time.

Naruto spotted a very pretty woman waiting for them at the gate. She had short raven colored hair, big dark eyes, tanned skin, and a bright smile. He blushed a bit, she was pretty.

After handing over the papers of Naruto' permitted leave, the trio quickly rushed out of the gates and were on the road.

"Where are we going?" asked Naruto, still being carried. Tsunade wanted to gain a bit of distance before they chose a concentrated location.

"For now, we go where the road takes us."

Unbeknownst to all but Tsunade, a shadow was silently keeping watch of them while the group began their journey.

* * *

_**End of Chapter  
**_

* * *

_**AN:**_

_**Chapter finished. What do you think? Should(Could) it be more than a One-Shot? The reason I ask is because I have no real ending for this story aside from just following canon to a certain extent. Plus I have other obligations(Stories) that I am also currently writing but that I do have an ending of my own design for.**_

_**Minato and Kushina are alive, and I know using Hiruzen for the sealing is cliché by the standards of today, but oh well. Deal with it. It's done.**_

_**If you have any questions regarding anything in this story, then send me a PM, or leave it in a review.**_

_**Happy Holidays!**_

_**REVIEW!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Apprenticed To A Slug**_

_**Sup everyone! Thanks to all of you who reviewed, favorited, or are following this story. Here's another chapter!**_

"Katon" – Regular Speech

_'Suiton' – Flashback/Thought Speech_

_**'Raiton' – Demon/Summon Speech**_

"_**Doton" – Jutsu Speech**_

_**Chapter Two**_

* * *

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**_

* * *

"Are we far enough yet, Tsunade-sama?" inquired Shizune. While she herself was also trained by the slug sannin, it didn't mean she could keep up the endless pace. Not without taking a rest. Her stamina wasn't near the level to that of her master's.

Tsunade just grunted in response. The busty blonde looked around and could see the environment starting to shift a bit. Not enough to the point where they were going to be out of the country, but enough that they were leaving the dense forests near Konoha.

"Yes, we can stop." The redhead in her arms was lowered to the ground. She looked at her first student, "Catch your breath. We'll begin moving once more in a few minutes."

"Where are we going?"

Shizune looked down to the little redheaded boy that had been carried in her master's arms. Just one look was all she needed to determine who he was. It also helped she had received a message from her master prior to their current situation of just what was going to happen.

"Hm..." Tsunade hummed. Looking off into the distance in front of her, "We're currently heading west, so that means the desert...and the desert means Suna." she mumbled.

The more she thought about it the better it sounded. By no means was it safe to take a six year old into such conditions, but it was the ideal place to begin his training. Not only would she teach him how to survive in the harsh conditions, but it would also be his first step into the field of medicine; toxins and antidotes. Though she would leave the application of said pathogen' to Shizune.

While she continued to think, the newest apprentice greeted the old.

"We weren't introduced earlier. My name is Uzumaki Naruto. It's nice to meet you." he bowed. Naruto had been taught from an early age to always show respect to others, even if they held no titles. The woman in front of him had shoulder length black hair and black eyes. She was very pretty.

Shizune was a bit surprised by how well spoken the young man in front of her was, but she too eventually shook it off.

"Ah no, I'm sorry for my lateness as well." she reciprocated, bowing. "My name is Katō Shizune. I am Tsunade-sama's first student."

He suddenly looked up at her. "So then, that makes you my senpai." he said. He bowed once more, "I'll be in your care."

Shizune couldn't help the smile forming on her face from getting larger. She had never been anyone's senior. It was a nice feeling having someone relying on her instead of the opposite. She gave him an encouraging nod.

"You can count on me."

_Oink_

"Oops, sorry." she suddenly apologized. "I forgot to introduce someone. This here is Tonton."

Naruto had noticed the pink little animal earlier when they were running, but he wasn't sure if it was a summoned creature or just a pet. Looks like it was a pet.

He sent the little pig a small nod. "It's nice to meet you as well."

_Oink_

The pig gave him what he assumed was a nod, he couldn't really tell.

"C'mon you two, that's enough rest." Tsunade's voice pierced their conversation. "Let's get moving."

"So, where is our next destination." questioned Shizune, repeating the redhead's earlier query.

"Sunagakure."

Shizune thought about this for a moment and soon found herself agreeing with her master's decision of locale. Though she felt it wasn't the best place to begin the life of a medical-nin, but it certainly would help in the long run.

Tsunade began to move forward, followed closely by the other two.

"What are you and Shizune-senpai going to teach me, Tsunade-sama?" inquired Naruto, giving her a curious gaze.

The sannin took note of the beaming smile on her first apprentice' face and it inadvertently brought one to her as well. It had been a long time since she had seen her smile like that. It seemed the brat was already doing some good.

"Before either of us teach you anything, I need to explain the four clauses of being a medical-nin to you."

Naruto remained silent which Tsunade took as her cue to continue.

"First Clause: No medical-ninja shall ever stop medical treatment until the lives of their team members have come to an end."

The Uzumaki heir nodded his head. He understood that much. Before he could ask a question concerning the clause, she continued.

"Second Clause: No medical-ninja shall ever stand on the frontlines."

He waited until she was done before he raised his hand. He had a question.

"Let me finish before you ask your questions."

He gave her a simple nod.

"Third Clause: No medical-ninja shall ever die until they are the last of their team."

That was just common sense to Naruto. They were the ones who could stave off death, so them dying prematurely would hinder the rest of the team greatly. He then looked to her.

She nodded her head to him. "Go ahead and ask your questions." he nodded.

"I understand the first clause, but since I'm not technically a full fledged medic yet, does that mean I'm allowed to fight if something ever comes up and since I don't have a party?"

Tsunade thought about it for a minute and guessed the brat had a point. In a way it was a loophole around the second clause, and just a bit around the third. He could have the knowledge but not be a medic and she couldn't exactly stop him from trying to defend himself, nor would she. The last thing she wanted was more deaths on her conscience.

"Since you aren't a medic yet, then yes, you can fight. When I deem you ready to be a full fledged medic, it will also apply here...to an extent." Naruto sent her a questioning glance. "Tell me brat, how many people do you see here?"

"Three, not counting Tonton."

"Correct. Technically we are a party, but not a team. You'll need two or three more people near your age to be considered a team."

"But I thought age didn't matter most of the time when being in a team?"

Tsunade sighed. "You know what I mean brat. Stop trying to get all technical on me. The point I'm trying to make is that since we are not a team, then you can still fight even when I deem you ready since the third clause wouldn't apply here."

Naruto thought about it for a moment before he nodded to her. Since they weren't a team, he could fight, but once he was assigned to one then he would have to adhere to the clauses. He looked to her once more.

"What's the fourth?"

The slug princess hesitated. "The...fourth is a special clause that I created long ago, and it only applies to myself."

He wasn't sure what she meant by that. He shrugged. If she didn't want to tell him then he was fine with that. He would just wait until she felt ready. Her voice suddenly intruded into his thoughts.

"As for what I will personally teach you however..." Naruto leaned forward in anticipation. "How to mend broken bones, heal muscles and tendons, preform surgical operations, create antidotes, and other things."

Shizune spoke up once her master had said her piece. "Meanwhile, I'll teach you about poisons – how to discern them apart – and how to apply them. I'll also introduce you to herbalism and how it will coincide with what I and Tsunade-sama teach you."

Naruto couldn't wait to get started, but then his brows furrowed. "Um, what about all of the other things I was learning before we left?" He wanted to learn medicine but he didn't want to slack in his other areas.

"What other things were you learning beforehand?" asked Shizune. She had quite a wide variety of skills, so perhaps she could be of more help than she had first anticipated.

"My parents were going to start with elemental manipulation. I was also learning seals along with practicing with my staff."

Shizune looked to her master who in return nodded to her.

"I can continue to teach you fūinjutsu." replied Shizune. "I however know next to nothing about Bōjutsu. I can teach you shurikenjutsu as a replacement until you find a suitable teacher though." she offered.

"You would do that for me?"

She nodded.

"Thank you."

"I can also instruct you on a few earth techniques I know." said Tsunade. "They aren't powerful, but they are versatile and useful. What do you say?

"Yes please!"

He would take everything they were offering. They were already going to teach him medical ninjutsu, but the other things were just added bonuses.

"Good, I like that enthusiasm. We can start your training right now." said Tsunade. She lightly punched a tree – almost uprooting it – and plucked four leaves out of the air with her right hand. "Put these on." She knew about him already doing chakra control exercise with three leaves, she was going to up it.

"Chakra control." said Naruto.

"Yep." Tsunade suddenly smirked. "You better be able to keep them on while we move. Me and Shizune don't stop, so if you drop them then we aren't going to wait for you, and you're going to fall behind."

Naruto grimaced. It wasn't like he wasn't familiar with the exercise or didn't practice it. He had just never done it while moving. There was even more pressure since he didn't want to be left behind.

Tsunade was mostly playing with him, as Shizune would trail a bit behind her to watch over him from afar. Plus, he also had eyes watching him from the shadows.

"Let's get moving."

And so their trek to Sunagakure began.

* * *

_**~Two Months Later~**_

"Hmm~"

A soft tune was being hummed by Naruto as he sat near a small river, enjoying the quiet as he fished. It was soon disturbed.

"Naruto!" hollered Tsunade. "Have you caught anymore fish?" she asked, watching him from her seat next to Shizune, who was cooking.

He didn't respond immediately since he was currently locked in a battle. "C'mon, c'mon." he grunted, pulling on his makeshift pole. He gave some slack before pulling again, and then gave it one last heave, "C'mon!...I got it!"

For the past two months, the trio had taken their sweet time while traveling to their destination, stopping at various inns. Or casino's in Tsunade's case. Naruto hadn't really learned much in terms of Iryō ninjutsu but had brushed up on his other skills. That and more chakra control. Each exercise ramping up in difficulty when the sannin said they needed to.

"Here you go." Naruto handed his latest catch over to Shizune, who was going to put it in a stew.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"C'mere for a minute brat." called Tsunade. He went over towards her, "How good is your control?" It was a rhetorical question she knew, but she what she wanted was a demonstration not an actual spoken answer.

Naruto saw a very large tree in front of him and steadily began to walk up it.

Tsunade just shook her head, still not quite believing just how quickly the brat was coming along. Sure, two months were a long time – especially when he did nothing but chakra control – but he still shouldn't be doing it this easily. She knew of his burden and wondered if the Bijū was either still dormant or just not messing with it's host. It was most likely the former.

"How was that?"

She turned her attention back to him. "Pretty good brat. Good enough that I'm going to start teaching you medical ninjutsu. Normally I wouldn't yet, but you've made amazing progress."

He stood at attention when she said that, his eyes never leaving hers. She beckoned him to follow her.

"What I'm going to teach you is to speed up the body's natural healing process." she started. "You send your chakra into the patient's circulatory system thus healing a wound or any part of the body that is injured. Be it internal or external."

"Wow. Do you need to use any type of equipment?" He had seen the doctors at the hospital use all kinds of different tools. So he wondered if it was the same for this as well.

She shook her head. "No, with this technique no equipment is needed. However, it is vital that you match your chakra to the affliction. If you don't and you send an excess amount, then you can potentially overload a patient's circulatory system, trapping them in a comatose state." she lectured, wanting to get the severity of doing such a thing across to him.

Naruto gulped and nodded.

"Good. Here, I want you to start on this." She tossed him one of the numerous fish he had worked hard to catch.

"Um, aren't you going to show me how to do it first?"

"No." she shook her head. "I feel that you doing it yourself is more beneficial in the long run. Here are the handseals."

Naruto watched her hands and then watched her walk away. He then looked to his fish and sighed. He shrugged his shoulders. Might as well get started.

"Is the food almost done?" asked Tsunade, watching her first student stir the stew.

"Give it a few more minutes." replied Shizune. "And was it really alright to do that?" She looked over at her kōuhai.

"He'll be fine." Tsunade waved off her concerns. "The best teacher is experience. I could see it in his eyes. The brat may be booksmart, but he learns best with a hands-on approach. Ah, thank you." She had taken the bowl of food from her friend.

"I understand that, but-"

"I did it!"

Tsunade did a spit-take, covering Shizune with pieces of fish meat and vegetables.

"WHAT!?"

She immediately rushed over to see if he was telling the truth, and there it was, clear as day. The fish was breathing, gaping for air. She was stunned.

_'How did he do it that fast?'_

Aside from herself she had never seen anyone complete this that fast. Not even Shizune, and she was extremely talented in medicine.

"Show me again."

He shrugged his shoulders. Naruto repeated the handseals and moved his hands over the fish once more.

Tsunade watched him closely and could see nothing out of the ordinary with the way he was preforming, and within a few seconds the fish was up. His chakra output was where it needed to be for the small aquatic animal, so what was it?

_'Is it his chakra?'_

It was a plausible theory since not everyone always had the same chakra. Others were different. Her own clan – along with Kushina's – were prime examples of this. So did the boy in front of her have something more special. She needed to find out. Her curiosity as a medical expert was piqued.

So she cut herself.

"Naruto, heal this for me."

He gave her a weird look since she could have just healed it herself but he shrugged. If his teacher wanted him to do this for her, then who was he to argue. Once more, he sent his chakra into the wound and watched it begin to heal the small cut.

The slug sannin felt his chakra enter her system and could only use one word to describe the feeling; warm. It felt warm. Like she was being embraced in a hug by the sun's rays. It was a very nice feeling, until it suddenly stopped.

"There you go, all better."

"...Thank you."

She thanked him and went back to her seat as he continued to practice.

"So, did you find anything out?" questioned Shizune, who has since cleaned herself up. Along with picking out the pieces of food that had flown into the stew. She didn't want to eat backwash thank you very much.

"It's his chakra." she answered, very certain. "I just don't know how it's different or how it's healing at such a rapid rate."

"Isn't that how Kushina-sama's chakra is?"

Tsunade had thought of that as well, but that didn't make a lick of sense. Kushina's chakra is special – there was no doubt about that – but not when it came to healing. Her chakra was special in that it could hold a Bijū's presence. There was no shadow of a doubt that her children had inherited a sliver of that since both of them had no problems with the Kyūbi, but it didn't explain what her son could do.

"No, his chakra is different from Kushina's." stated Tsunade. "We'll need to monitor him closer whenever we have him preform medical techniques." informed the slug princess to her friend.

Yes, if whatever Naruto was doing was this effective, then she wanted to see it's limits since the boy in front of her could one day be hailed as the greatest medical-nin alive.

* * *

The trio had finished their lunch and had once more resumed their journey. They had been on the road for over an hour already.

"It sure is getting hotter huh." commented Naruto, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Tsunade – still intrigued by his chakra – has since calmed down. "Naruto, take a look around and tell me what you see." She was going to teach him something else right now.

The young redhead looked around and noticed that something had indeed changed with their surroundings. "There aren't as many trees."

"Correct, but there is more. Can you see it?"

He looked around once more, hoping to find it to make her proud but sadly shook his head.

"It's okay if you can't see it. That's what we're here for." Shizune smiled at him, nodding. "What I wanted you to take notice of was the lack of water in the trees as well. That is a sign that's telling you you're getting closer to the desert."

Naruto ran over to one of the trees and inspected it. What she said was true. The bark on the tree was dried out and falling apart.

"How were you able to tell?"

"Simple. I noticed it as we were walking. I want you to be able to read a person much like how I was reading the signs all around us." she explained. "A person who is usually hurt will always deny being hurt so they can return to their way of life, or whatever they were doing beforehand. It's our job as people of medicine to be able to identify this and apply proper treatment." As she finished saying this, an image of a white haired pervert came to mind.

A light bulb suddenly went off in Naruto's head. "Is that why you had me and Shizune-senpai gather and seal extra water. Because we were getting closer to the desert."

"Very good." praised Tsunade. "Water is the lifeblood of the desert. If you run out of it before you locate another source then you're as good as dead. We as medics must not only read the signs around us, but we must be adaptable. You never know where you are going to be needed. It could be in this very desert, or it could be in a place where the sun doesn't shine and rains constantly."

He nodded. It made sense. Boy, was he lucky to have such a teacher.

"C'mon, I want you to continue practicing your observational skills as we go along."

"How much longer until we reach Suna anyways?" he asked. He wanted ample time – if he could – to continue to train this skill.

"Since we're going to be entering the dunes in about another hour, I'd say it should take us a week and a half." she estimated. That is if any sandstorms didn't just pop out of nowhere and impede their progress.

* * *

_**~A Day Later~**_

"This is just my luck." grumbled Tsunade. A violent sandstorm had kicked up a few hours ago. Had she not noticed the sand being picked up by the wind, then they would have been caught in it.

They were currently hiding out in a cavern that she had raised from the ground to surround them. Once she had the technique to the brat, she told him she would teach it to him. It made for a sturdy and durable makeshift home when on the road or in enemy territory.

Right now, she was keeping a lookout from the opening the home provided. Meanwhile, Shizune had begun a lesson of her own.

"Poisons are used in our world regularly. Most are used to kill people. However, they can also be used to save people."

"How?" asked Naruto, confused.

"We use them to counteract another poison. For example. Say we can't figure out the ingredients to create an antidote for a person who is poisoned with something we've never seen, but we inject another strain into their bloodstream and that new virus we injected consumes the previously unknown strain. Now we have a strain we do know and have an antidote for." she explained.

"I guess that makes sense." he muttered. "But what if one of them doesn't consume the other and the two strains combine?"

Shizune actually gave him a grimace when she heard that. "The chances of that occurring are astronomically low, but if we do ever encounter such a case then we use fūinjutsu."

"Seals?"

She nodded. "We seal the patient until a cure is found. Before we do though, we extract blood samples and we try and create a cure from the samples."

"I see."

The former apprentice decided to change the subject. "Since we're in the desert and we are grounded for the moment, I want to take his opportunity to impart some wisdom onto you."

He nodded, ready to listen.

"Like I was saying earlier, poison is used a lot in our world. Whether it be on weapons, food, clothes, or even furniture. I'm getting off track here, what I'm trying to say is that poison is not limited to just humans."

"What do you mean?"

"There are animals in this very desert that can kill you with poison. Eight different kinds of species in fact. Some bites or stings can be extremely fatal and can kill a person in a matter of seconds. Others aren't immediately as fatal but can eventually either cause cardiac arrest or major organ failure; both resulting in death if treatment is not applied."

The redhead gulped.

She looked at him concerned. "I'm not trying to scare you. I just want you to have knowledge of this and-"

"Be aware." he finished for her.

"That's right. Awareness is what keeps people like us alive for very long periods of time."

Naruto nodded his head. "What are the animals I should be looking out for?" he asked. He didn't want to accidentally step on one or something. That would be very bad.

"Hm, let's see here." Shizune remained silent for a few seconds as she recalled the types. "Scorpions, spiders, snakes, lizards, ants, centipedes, wasps, and bees. Of course, some are more poisonous than others, but the general idea is for you to be aware of these creatures."

"What kind should I be looking for?" he asked. "I understand you said all of those, but you didn't give me any specifics on the species I should look for."

She smiled once more, glad he was asking questions. "Bees are perhaps the most dangerous you should watch out for. Individually, one sting is nothing unless you're allergic, but a few thousand at once can do some damage to a person. Rattlesnakes and black widow spiders are the next two dangerous..." She then proceeded to tell him of the other species that were located in the desert while the sandstorm continued to rage on.

* * *

_**~A Week and a Half Later~**_

The trio was nearing the entrance into Sunagakure. Tsunade watched her two wards from behind as she trailed behind them. While she continued to catch little snippets of their conversation – which involved talk of poisons and herbs – she was on the lookout for someone.

_'There they are.'_

She made a small motion with her hand and now standing behind her was the lone Konoha Anbu. Now that she got a better look at him, she noticed just how young he really was. Judging by his height alone, she would have guessed he was only a few years older than Naruto. She shook her head. She didn't have time to contemplate the choice made by the boy or his parents. She was busy enough.

"We're entering a foreign village. If they catch you inside then you're as good as dead, along with the rest of us." said Tsunade. "I need for you to stay outside of the village and not get captured. Can you do this?"

The young shinobi nodded his head. "Hai, Tsunade-sama. I can summon my crow to continue to watch over you three from the sky while I am not there. Is this acceptable?"

She found it odd that the boy used a crow summons when he himself sported the mask of that very same animal.

"That is fine."

The Anbu nodded his head and vanished in a murder of crows. Tsunade caught up with the other two, both of whom were unaware of what had just happened.

* * *

– _**Entrance into Sunagakure –**_

* * *

"Wow."

Naruto was in awe. Standing in front of them was the entrance into the village hidden by the sand. The entrance itself was a large ravine split down the middle with the front resembling stairs. It was vastly different from the entrance leading into Konoha.

However, just like Konoha there were two people standing guard by the entrance.

"Halt!" shouted one of them. Most likely a chūnin, "Identify yourself and your purpose within our village!"

Before the sannin could respond, four shadows dropped down around them.

"We'll take over from here."

The chūnin guards could only nod at their superiors as they returned to their posts. Tsunade walked up to them while positioning herself in front of Naruto and Shizune. The four shadows noticed it as well.

"We mean you no harm, Tsunade-sama." stated the captain of the unit. "We are merely here to escort you at the behest of Kazekage-sama."

She narrowed her eyes at them but nodded nonetheless. They followed the unit into the ravine and into the village.

* * *

– _**Sunagakure –**_

* * *

The young redhead was once more left breathless. It was his first time looking at a different hidden village other than his own. Just looking around, he could spot the major differences between this place and his home. For one, all of the buildings were made of some type of dirt or mud that was hardened. Another thing he noticed was how everyone seemed to hide most of their faces behind cloth or having some atop their heads.

He wouldn't have understood unless his teacher had explained it to him before they had gotten there.

She had told him that the people from Suna – or just the desert in general – were used to a nomadic lifestyle before the founding of the village. And as such they needed protection from the elements, like the sun or from the sudden sandstorms.

The last thing he noticed about everyone – even the civilians – was how everyone always seemed on edge. Like they were about to be attacked or something. He would have to ask about this later.

"We're here."

He heard one of the masked guys say. In front of him stood one of the larger buildings with many others interconnected to it. In front of it was a large printing of the word "_**Wind**_" that marked it as the administrative building of the Kazekage.

They entered.

The first thing he noticed when they had entered was how much more refreshingly cool it had suddenly become. He looked to the walls and took note of how much smoother they were than what was presented outside.

"Wait here." The Anbu had vanished, leaving them standing outside of a door and in a corridor.

They didn't wait long as a very pretty woman greeted them. She was taller than Tsunade and Shizune – a bit thinner to, not that he would ever say that – but what he found the coolest thing about her thought; her hair. She had green hair with orange tips that framed her face.

"Thank you for waiting. Kazekage-sama will see you now."

She ushered the small group from Konoha inside.

* * *

– _**Kazekage's Office –**_

* * *

The Uzumaki heir was looking at the Kazekage, or more precisely, his hair. It was the first thing he had been drawn to, thinking the man to be some long lost descendant of his future clan. Well, whatever the man was, he was staring at him sternly.

"I'll cut right to the chase here, Tsunade-dono." said Rasa, the Yondaime. "What are you doing in my village? There were no mentions of this to me from your Hokage."

Tsunade had almost cut him off, about to inform him that Minato was not her Hokage, but refrained from doing so. She didn't need things to get ugly this fast.

"What we are here for is merely teaching purposes. Nothing more, nothing less."

Rasa frowned. "Teaching?" He looked over to Shizune since he knew about her but he dismissed her immediately. Why would she continue to train her when she's been doing it many years now. His eyes landed on the redhead.

Tsunade ushered him forward. "It's nice to meet you, Kazekage-sama. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I am Tsunade-sama's newest apprentice."

Everyone's eyes immediately shot to the sannin who gave them a simple nod. All of them looked back at the boy, wondering who he was that he was being taught by one of the most powerful people in the world.

Rasa narrowed his eyes, looking at the boy closer. From his hair to his eyes, he was searching for something when he found it. The resemblance was uncanny. The boy in front of him was the son of Minato and Kushina. His frown furthered.

_'This boy is going to be extremely powerful when he gets older.'_

He would need to keep an eye on the boy and his growth. To see whether he would be an enemy or an ally in the future.

"How long do you plan to stay?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Hm, I'm not sure but if I had to take a guess...I'd say no longer than a year. There is much to teach that can only be provided by the desert.

All Rasa seemed to be doing today was frowning as he heard her answer. A year wasn't all that long, but much could still happen in that time. He didn't want to start anything with Konoha – since they were allies at the moment – should anything happen to Minato's son.

He came to a decision. "Very well. The three of you may stay, but I am going to assign you a caretaker for your time in my village."

Tsunade just looked at him dully. He was very transparent, but she nodded.

Rasa motioned with his head and the woman who had ushered them into the office stepped forward.

"Greetings. We were not properly introduced when we first met, but you may call me Pakura." stated the woman, introducing herself.

Now it was Tsunade's turn to narrow her eyes as she wore a frown looking not only at the woman, but at the Kazekage as well. She knew who the woman was and what she could do with her bloodline.

_'So this woman is to take care of us should we pose a problem or learn a dirty little secret huh.'_

The lone Senju just nodded at the woman as her two wards gave her a bow.

"You would give us such a person to only be a caretaker?" questioned the sannin. "Would you not need the hero of the sand for more important missions than watching us?"

Now Rasa narrowed his eyes at her. "No. protecting such an _important_ child is well within my rights to send one of my more skilled ninja." he stated, looking at Naruto. Both of the women by the redhead tensed when he said this.

_'It seems the Kazekage was able to discern the relation between Naruto and his parents.'_

"Besides, should I need her for an important mission, then I will call her back and send another to watch over you."

Tsunade lightly sighed. "Very well then."

"Good." Rasa nodded. "Pakura, if you would, show them to our village's inn."

Pakura nodded to her leader. "If you would please follow me."

The group followed after the kunoichi as Rasa watched them leave his office. Once they were out, he made a motion.

"Sir?"

He looked to his Anbu. "I want you to preform a perimeter search around the village. Such important people will not be without their guards." The Anbu knew what he was talking about and immediately went to see it accomplished.

Rasa went back to his desk and continued his work, looking over a letter he received from Kirigakure.

* * *

Once they were outside of the office, Pakura led them through a maze with nothing but twists and turns at every corner. Naruto was the only person who didn't know what she was doing. The other two did know however. It was all to disorient them from remembering the exact path to Rasa's office.

"Whew, glade we're finally out of that maze." stated Naruto.

Pakura allowed herself a small smile while Tsunade almost snorted.

_'Brat doesn't know how true that statement is.'_

As they were walking past all of the buildings along with the village hospital, the group also passed a playground. Naruto looked around at all of the children playing with friends their age; he was envious of them. He didn't have friends his age back home. Sure he had friends, only none of them were his age.

Aside from his sister being his first friend as he was with her, Hatake Kakashi was his first friend outside of his family. He had met him one day when his dad had brought him over to talk with him and he had seen him there. With his cool silver hair, his headband over one eye, and the face mask. To him, he was one of the coolest people he had ever seen. They became friends after that.

The only female he knew – aside from his mom, sister, Tsunade, and Shizune – was a woman named Yūhi Kurenai. She was the person he knew the least out of the three. He had seen her a few times around the village and one day when he was with his father in his office when she had come in. He had told her she had really pretty eyes since they reminded him of his hair. The two had hit it off after that, especially when they were talking a bit about themselves and she told him she specialized in illusions.

He had frowned when she had told him that people looked down on her because of her specialty. He had told her that it didn't matter what other people thought. If he had been worried about what people would think about his decisions, then he wouldn't have decided to take over the Uzumaki clan when he got of age. She just smiled at him, ruffled his hair, and told him he was going to be something when he grew up.

The last of his friends was the one who was perhaps closest to him, and not in the way he thought of Kakashi. No, his last friend was like him. A son of a Hokage. His name is Sarutobi Asuma, son of the Sandaime Hokage.

He had met him when his family went to go and pay their respects to the third. They hadn't started off as friends but after time they started to talk to one another. Asuma more than him. The man had told him he had seen him walking around a few times and how uncomfortable he looked when all of the civilians were overly nice to him or something else. He told him that it comes with the territory of being the son of a Kage.

Naruto respected him since his father told him he had come back from the fire temple and from the employ of the fire Daimyō; all for his family. He was once apart of the twelve guardian ninja; elite warriors.

Other than those three and his family, he didn't know many other people his own age.

_'Hm?'_

His thoughts were interrupted when he looked back at the playground he could still see all of the children playing, all except one. He frowned when he noticed that all of the kids were ignoring him deliberately. Even the adults were giving him funny looks.

He didn't know why, but he felt compelled to go and talk to him. Perhaps this could have been him did he not have his own little circle of friends.

The crimson haired Uzumaki broke away from his group and entered the playground. Almost everyone stopped when they saw him and his colored hair.

Tsunade saw him leave their group and would have called him back but decided not to. His parents had told her about his lack of friends his age. She sighed.

_'Honestly, what's wrong with me? Normally I would have just called the brat over so we could get into our inn, but lately I've found myself doing that less and less.' _She didn't know if this was because she felt sorry for him or if he was starting to grow on her, probably a bit of both._ 'Hm?'_

Tsunade eyed the Suna kunoichi – along with the other adults – with a frown. They were all tense. All of them were looking at her charge with caution. No, not at her charge, but they were looking in his direction as he stood in front of another boy.

"Hi!" said Naruto, energetically.

"..."

"I noticed you were playing catch by yourself..."

"..."

"Can I play with you?" he asked.

The boy finally looked up at him in shock. He was pretty short compared to him but that stuff was just details. His most striking features were his auburn hair – which Naruto would have sworn was red – his blue-green eyes, and the two black rings around his eyes.

"You want to play with me?" asked the boy, quietly.

"Uh huh." Naruto nodded his head.

"...Why?"

"Cause you were playing all by yourself."

"Why don't you play with the others? If you play with me then you won't have any friends."

Naruto turned around to look at the other kids. "Nah. Besides, if they don't wanna be my friend just because I wanna play with you then they aren't people I want to be friends with. Plus, I don't have many friends and I wanted a new one." he smiled at him.

"You don't have friends either?"

"Nope. Not my age anyways. I have three friends who are older than me, but they have their own grown up friends and they do missions and stuff, so they can't always play with me." explained the Uzumaki heir. "So, do you wanna be my first friend?" he held out his hand to him.

The boy looked at the outstretched hand for a moment and then took it in his own. "Okay."

"Great! Let's play catch."

The boy nodded his head and had a small smile on his own face.

"By the way, what's your name?" asked Naruto. "Mine's Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet ya."

"Ah, it's nice to meet you as well. My name is Gaara."

* * *

_**End of Chapter Two**_

* * *

_**So we're done with the 2nd chapter! What did you think?**_

_**Introduced Gaara! His siblings will be introduced in the next chapter. Pakura isn't going to be a major character in this story so don't think because I introduced her she will be.**_

_**These chapters – for this story anyways – are going to be rather short. Probably ranging from 6 – 7 thousand words. It's the only way I can see myself updating this story somewhat consistently while updating my other stories as well.**_

_**If there is something I didn't address then leave your questions in a review or send me a PM.**_

_**REVIEW!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Apprenticed To A Slug**_

_**Yo everyone, thanks for the reviews and support for this story. Sorry it's taken me so long to update this and my other stories, but life just got in the way, as it usually tends to do. That and I kinda became disenchanted with writing for a bit; burned out. Anyways I'm back and here is the 3rd chapter with the fourth on the way.**_

– "Katon" – Regular Speech

– _'Suiton' – Flashback/Thought Speech_

– _**'Raiton' – Demon/Summon Speech**_

– "_**Doton" – Jutsu Speech**_

_**Chapter Three**_

* * *

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**_

* * *

"So, what do you want to play, Gaara?" asked the Uzumaki heir, looking at his friend.

Gaara began to squirm a bit under the gaze of his friend and blurted out an answer. "Catch is fine." he replied. "I mean, if you want to that is..."

Naruto smiled at him. "Catch is fine." he replied, "Here, toss me the ball."

Gaara soon smiled as well and tossed the ball into the opened hands of his friend. The game they were playing was simple, first person to drop the ball was the loser.

The redheaded Uzumaki kept the smile on his face when he looked into Gaara's, but he had spotted the looks being sent their way. He was putting what he had learned under the tutelage of his two teachers into practice.

It was odd though, none of the overt looks were being sent his way, mostly just a few subtle looks of concern. Which he once more found odd since these people should hold little to no concern for him, a stranger in their village. No, the oddest thing was that these looks were being sent to the boy directly across from him.

"Look at that..." whispered two females, pointing in their direction.

"What did that little demon do to that boy to make him play with him?" spat another.

Naruto kept the smile on the outside for his friend, but on the inside he was frowning. The remarks by the populace were obviously meant to be heard by Gaara, but his friend didn't even react. This told him a few things. Either his friend had thick skin and didn't care what they said about him, or he has simply accepted it. He doubted it was the former since he could see the timid nature in him.

As he continued to listen in on the "whispering" conversations of the adults around him, his eyes landed on two others who stood out. They were kids, probably a few years older than him, and what made them standout was the fact they weren't looking at Gaara, much like the rest of the crowd. No, they were looking directly at him, like he was some type of puzzle to be solved. He could tell by looking into their eyes that they were sharp, unlike the other children playing in the same playground. These two had training.

_'Who're they?'_

The duo he had been monitoring out of the corner of his eye had seen him looking indirectly at them. They hadn't moved for a few seconds, talking with one another, before getting up and making their way towards him. He noticed the wide girth the two had given Gaara as they walked past him and positioned themselves behind his own back.

_'These two have definitely had training.'_

Gaara stopped tossing the ball around once he spotted them behind his friend. Naruto noticing this sighed and turned around to face them. One was a girl, the other a boy.

"You know them, Gaara?" he asked.

"Yes." he replied, meekly.

The girl in front of him stood out the most of the two, mostly do to her sandy blonde hair and teal colored eyes, both exotics in the desert. Her hair was tied into four consecutive ponytails which grabbed a person's attention right off the bat, and if that didn't do it, then the fan behind her certainly would. It was about a foot taller than her.

The boy next to her was the complete opposite. Whereas the girl was exotic for the desert, the boy fit the mold of what he expected out here. He had darkish brown hair with two onyx colored eyes. Just like the girl, he to held something on his back, though it appeared much smaller than the fan.

"Who are you?" he asked, guardedly. Judging by the reaction Gaara had given him, it was safe to say that these two weren't friends.

The boy didn't notice the protective tone or the way he positioned himself between Gaara and them, but the girl did. Her own unique eyes narrowed at him, but before she could open her mouth to respond to his inquiry, the boy beat her to it.

"We're his older siblings." stated the boy, not entirely making eye contact with his little brother.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the two in front of him.

"If you're really his older brother and sister, they why weren't you playing with him? Why is he out here all alone?" he growled out. Granted, he isn't one to talk about playing with his sibling since he rarely did it with his own, but even his situation with his sister wasn't to this point here in the desert.

The boy flinched at his tone, as did the girl, who also had the decency to look down to the ground, ashamed.

"It's because he's a monster..." trailed off the boy. He still remembered, vividly at that, when the giant sand monster came out and began to destroy buildings. Things like that stay with a person, no matter the age.

Naruto's brows furrowed in confusion once more, still wondering why they call him monster. It was the second time he's heard it.

"Plus, nobody want's to play with him or us for that matter because we're children of the Yondaime Kazekage." added the girl.

The older sand siblings thought that tidbit of information would give him pause, it didn't.

"And?"

His immediate and blunt response stunned them silent for a moment. They had never seen someone blatantly shrug aside that information before. It was usually because of this that so many children, their age or older, and some adults were afraid to play or interact with them. It was also the reason why others who weren't afraid of their status were extremely nice to them, more so them than Gaara.

"This doesn't surprise you?" questioned the girl.

"No, why should it. I've-..." he stopped mid-sentence. Naruto remembered the stern talking to he had gotten from Tsunade about him accidentally revealing his lineage. "I've met others who have important parents." he lied.

Gaara and his older brother nodded, seeming to have bought it. Their sister however seemed to be a different case, having caught his slight hesitation, though it didn't seem she was going to make a fuss about it.

"Are the two of you ninja?" asked Naruto, trying to steer the conversation towards something else.

The older boy shook his head. "No, but we're training to be." he replied, having completely forgotten the conversation they were having not five minutes ago.

The sister nodded her head in correspondence with her brother. "I'm training to be a powerful kunoichi one day and a master of tessenjutsu."

Now he understood why she carried a fan._ 'The world sure is a big place.' _He hadn't even known of the art's existence until she mentioned it.

Naruto looked to the older male sibling.

"What do you have on your back?"

The boy was now grinning larger than ever while his sister let out a groan. "Heh, prepare to be amazed!" he exclaimed. Removing the bundle from his back, he unfurled it in front of the small group and revealed it to be a wooden puppy dog.

"Wow, that's pretty cool." admitted the redhead. "You make it yourself?"

"That's right." replied the boy from the desert, puffing out his chest in pride. "And if you thought that was cool, then watch this."

Naruto, along with Gaara, watched in fascination as but with a few twitches of the fingers from his hand and the wooden animal began to move. This was yet another thing Naruto had never seen or heard of before.

"This little guy is only the beginning." commented the older sibling. "Soon, I'll create other puppets that will rival that of my village's legendary puppeteer's and I'll be known as the absolute best puppet master."

"Can I pet him?"

The young puppet master-in-training was startled by the sudden request, seeing as it came from his younger brother. He looked to his sister, unsure of what he should say. She didn't respond and kept her gaze on her youngest brother a moment before slowly nodding to her other brother, giving him the go ahead.

Naruto watched as the wooden animal began to move towards Gaara in a slow pace. The animal reached him and slowly began to lower it's head, ready to be petted. He saw the small smile begin to form on Gaara's face as he tenderly petted the puppet. He suddenly got a brilliant idea.

"Hey..." he said, grabbing all of the sand siblings attention. "Do the two of you want to play catch with Gaara and myself?"

The two older siblings were caught off-guard by his sudden proposal. They looked to one another and then to their younger brother as he continued to play with the puppet. When they looked at him, they did not see a monster as the others had led them to believe. In all honestly, they weren't sure what they were looking at when looking at him.

He certainly didn't kill them outright when they were within ten feet of him, nor did he transform into a hundred foot tall sand demon either.

_'Was everything everyone ever told us a lie?'_

"Hellooo..." Naruto waved his hand in front of her face. "You still with us?"

She blushed at being caught zoning out. "Yeah, sorry. I zoned out for a bit."

"Ah, that's no problem." he waved off. "I do it all the time when I think." he admitted. "So, I'll ask again, do the two of you want to play with us?"

The older sister looked to her brother and she was positive he hadn't read in-between the lines or else he would have tried talking to her, they were being given another chance. The boy in front of them was literally extending an olive branch between not only himself, but her younger brother.

"We would like that." she answered for the both of them. She saw a smile appear on the redhead's face when she said this. For now they would take things slowly and try to mend their sibling relationship with Gaara and hopefully progress as the days went forward.

"Great!" exclaimed Naruto. He was rather happy they had taken hold of the golden opportunity he had laid out for them. "By the way, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet ya."

"Likewise." grinned the puppet user. "My name is Kankurō." he introduced.

The redhead looked to the lone female of the group.

"Temari."

He raised an eyebrow at her short intro, but shrugged it off.

"Now that we're all acquainted, let's play."

The new group of four organized themselves into a large square, each person in one individual smaller square, and began to play a game with the ball.

* * *

"I'm so sorry!"

Tsunade and Shizune merely stood watching as the redhead in front of them had been continuously apologizing to them for the past half hour. It had been nearly an hour and a half since they had left the playground and returned to their inn since he had started.

"It's fine, Naruto-kun." replied Shizune, hoping he stopped. It was weird being apologized to by someone who was not only twice her age, but held a higher position within their society. "Just make sure to take your traveling companions into account next time, or anyone for that matter. Okay?"

He nodded, though they could see he didn't feel it was adequate enough and was about to start once more until Tsunade silenced him.

"Just drop it already brat." she said. "What's done is done, though I do advise you to take what Shizune said to heart." he nodded. "Though maybe I should punish you for making us wait in the sweltering heat, and for just walking into unknown territory." she mused.

"I thought you said this village was okay since we're going to be training here?"

Tsunade sighed. "Your observational skills are good, but not great. You need to start thinking of how different scenarios can play out before you make a move. A little paranoia never hurt anyone, especially for people like us."

"What do you mean?" questioned Naruto.

"What I mean is, did you see the looks the people around you were sending the other brat before you made contact with him?"

He opened his mouth to say he had seen them but abruptly closed it. He had only noticed Gaara's lonely face and it was only until after he began to play with him did he notice the stares.

"As you were making your way over to the other boy, many of the adults around us had tensed. Either ready to attack or defend if need be." she stated.

"It's true." added Shizune.

"This is what I mentioned before."

"About paranoia?"

"Correct." nodded Tsunade. "I know being paranoid about things is no way to live, but having some of it can save your life one day. Besides, who do you think is the first target on the field when battle is near?"

"Medics." he answered.

She nodded. "If you start thinking of the different scenarios, like today for instance, then you can plan and act accordingly, and not only save your life, but others as well." she informed. "You understand?"

He nodded.

"Good." she nodded in return. "Now then, I've thought of two suitable punishments for making us wait on you." Naruto gulped, hoping it wasn't anything too bad. "More chakra control or continuing your education in medical terminology..."

Naruto momentarily let out a breath of relief, he could do both of those.

"...While dodging anything and everything I throw at you." she stated, a grin on her face. "Pick your poison."

The Uzumaki heir had lost all color on his face. He had heard tales regarding his master's monstrous strength and just prayed she wouldn't use it on him.

Shizune physically flinched, which didn't help alleviate his fears. "I've done that exercise before." she told him. "Let me just say this. If you can dodge what she throws at you, then you can dodge what is thrown at you out there."

"A fundamental rule of healing your teammates out in the field is being able to dodge incoming attacks." reiterated Tsunade. "Now hurry up and choose already." said Tsunade, getting impatient.

The redhead withheld a groan from escaping his mouth and making his master angrier.

_'This is going to be a long day...'_

* * *

– _**Four Months Later –**_

* * *

"C'mon you two!" hollered Temari. "I want to show you a few of my favorite places before we head out to play."

Naruto and Gaara were both following her lead a few feet behind her. She had asserted herself as leader of their small group and subtly threatened them with harm if anyone had a problem with it. No one did.

It had been four months since the arrival of his group in the sandy country and village, and Naruto had enjoyed every minute of it. Though what he had enjoyed the most was seeing Kankurō and Temari opening up a bit more everyday with Gaara.

"So, how are things with you, Gaara?" asked the Uzumaki heir. "Everything alright with your brother and sister?"

Gaara sent him a smile." Yes, everything is fine." he nodded. "Today we had breakfast together and then lunch in the afternoon."

Naruto was glad to hear that. It had been a slow process, it still was, but progress was definitely being made. It had started simply with just saying his name, making small conversation, inviting him out to play once in a while, and now even sharing meals at the table.

Gaara had responded quite well, smiling more everyday, like today, whenever he was around his sister or brother. Speaking of Kankurō, he wasn't out with them today because he was going to be training with his puppets.

His own training was coming along well. Shizune had finally started to teach him shurikenjutsu while continuing his general education, along with anything else he needed. It was quite a job for her, but she insisted she enjoyed teaching.

Training with Tsunade wasn't as varied as it was with Shizune. With the sannin, it was either chakra control or medical terminology. Learning about prefixes, root words, and suffixes was easy up to the point he got hit in the face with something and lost concentration. She told him they would move onto more advanced subjects when she felt he knew the medical terms like the back of his hand since not knowing the difference between tomy – the process of making an incision – and ectomy – removal – in a term could either save a life or ruin it and get you in trouble.

Naruto found it incredible just how much two little letters can make a difference in determining if someone has to have something removed or if the surgeon is just supposed to create an opening.

Other than the subjects he was learning under both female teachers, along with practicing what he already knew on his own time, he had been working on other things. Specifically his staff technique or lack thereof. Since neither medical-nin knew next to nothing about the weapon, despite Tsunade having been taught by a man who was a master at it, all he could do was improvise. He had been thinking of ways to utilize it's versatile function of extension to help him if he ever got into a situation where he would need it. He was starting to put what Tsunade had preached to him all those months ago into practice.

"We're here." announced Temari.

Stopping, he looked around the place when his blue eyes landed on the shop in front of them. It didn't have any fancy signs or bright colors to attract attention, it was just there. It felt almost homely in a way, being nestled away from the hustle and bustle.

"This place here sells sand dumplings." informed the eldest sand sibling. "They're a specialty not only in our village, but in the country as a whole."

Naruto was impressed and now understood just why they were away from the main streets, people would buy their product regardless of how it sold in one location.

"How do they taste?" he asked, hoping they didn't literally take after their name.

Temari eased his worry. "They taste great!" she exclaimed. He was a bit surprised by her sudden outburst, having never seen the calm girl act like this before. She blushed a bit, "Sorry. It's just that these are my favorite and I've always wanted to eat these with friends, but I've never had very many, if at all." she admitted.

Every time he heard things like that out of any of the sand siblings mouths, he knew just how blessed he truly was. To not only have been born in his own village, but to his own parents as well. If he had been born out in the harsh deserts, then chances were he would have had the same or a similar childhood to his new friends with people being afraid to approach him just because they knew his father or mother were high ranking ninja.

He sent her a large smile. "Nothing to be sorry about." he reassured, "I've always wanted to eat out with my own friends as well, but all of my friends are older than me." he told her, making her feel a bit better. He turned to Gaara, "Have you ever tried one?"

Gaara looked down sadly and shook his head. "No, I haven't."

Naruto mentally kicked himself for asking such a stupid question. Judging by the looks his friend had gotten all those months ago, of course they wouldn't sell to him.

"Can I get three orders please?"

The duo watched Temari tiptoe at the counter as she put her order in. They saw her place her money on the counter and make her way back towards them.

"It'll take them a few minutes to make since I asked them to give us a fresh batch." she explained. They both nodded.

Silence soon permeated the air between the three until Naruto broke it, not being able to take it for very much longer.

"So, how goes the training with your fan?" he asked Temari.

She gave him a half-smile. "Good, but just not as quick as I would like. It's hard to adjust to the weight difference between the fan and myself, especially when I swing it."

Naruto nodded as that made sense. "What about your footing?" he asked. "I've found it difficult, still do by the way, to plant my feet when the ground beneath me isn't stable. Fighting on sand is tough."

She nodded her head as well. "I know the feeling, especially when fighting on the mountainous sand dunes. Doing it on a flatter surface is easier, but as you know, we don't always get to pick our battlefields out in the world."

That was a lesson that had been drilled into her head since she could walk, and it was one that Naruto had only recently begun to learn.

"Any secrets you have to adjusting your footing?" asked Naruto.

"Chakra control."

Both Temari and Naruto turned to the voice. Gaara had finally broken his silence and spoken for the first time in a while.

"He's right." supported Temari, sending him a smile. "Out of our group, Gaara is the best one out on the sand so he knows what he's talking about."

Naruto groaned at hearing the answer but nodded all the same, thanking him for the answer. "Aside from training, what else is there to do around here?" he asked. He didn't want to think about doing more control right now.

Temari gave him a grin. "One of the places I'm going to show you today before we play will blow your mind."

"Really?"

"Yep." she chirped.

"Order up!"

They all heard the voice coming from the stand and were soon handed their snack by Temari. Once they finished eating, they began their trek once more.

* * *

"This here is our greenhouse."

The eldest daughter of the Kazekage had taken the two boys to a glass building that was located near the hospital.

"What do you have in there?" inquired the resident of Konoha.

"Pretty much what the name implies."

Naruto looked down in embarrassment as he should've known that. He felt his face getting warmer when he heard Temari laughing at him. She calmed down after a few seconds.

"It houses rare medical herbs that the medics of our hospital have access to. Most of what we have in there can't be found out in the desert since the weather is different inside of there to out here." she explained.

"Really?" asked an intrigued Naruto. He didn't know if they had this back in Konoha or not, but if not then he would create one. After all, having the herbs to create antidotes on hand was better than having to search for them when the patient's life depends on it. "Are we allowed to look around inside?"

Temari gave him a flat look that told him he should already have that answer. He was about to open his mouth to ask again, but she silenced him with her answer.

"No."

"Aw, not even a tiny peek?" he pleaded. She shook her head, "Aw man, talk about being a major tease." he mumbled.

"What does that mean?" asked Gaara, innocently.

Naruto opened his mouth to explain but was silenced by Temari's glare. She had quickly learned that the redhead was smarter than those his age should be. He would no doubt twist the meaning, not to hurt her brother, but more as a joke since it was dealing with her.

"It doesn't mean anything. Just ignore him Gaara."

The Uzumaki had to hide his smirk as he watched Temari enter protective big sister mode, something she probably wouldn't have done months ago.

"Anyways, besides the obvious, there is another reason we can't go inside." said Temari. "There is a scary old lady who lives inside and will chase you with a stick if she finds out you don't belong there."

"Eh? A scary old lady?" questioned the redhead.

As if on cue, a mad cackling could be heard from inside of the greenhouse with a hunching shadow moving about inside. All three of them felt a chill go up their spines and ran away soon after.

* * *

"Where are you taking us now, oh glorious leader?" asked the redhead, getting a glare in return for the title. The reason he asked was because they were leaving the safety of the village. Well, they weren't far enough that they themselves couldn't find their way back, but far enough others trying to find them would have a hard time locating them.

Temari stopped glaring at him and then sent him a large smile. It was definitely the largest he had seen since he had been there.

"I'm taking the two of you to my favorite spot in all of the country."

"Even though you've never been to other parts of the country before?" asked Naruto. He got a nod.

"Where is that?" questioned Gaara. He may have been alone for parts of his life, but he knew his village very well and he was curious as to what his sister knew that he didn't.

"Just wait. I'm sure the both of you will love it once you see it."

* * *

"Wow."

It was all the two boys standing behind Temari could utter. They had finally been introduced to her favorite spot and they could now see just why it was her favorite. It was a small oasis located in the middle of the desert. Sure there was plant life along with a few trees providing shade from the ball of fire in the sky, but what stood out was the water in the center of it all.

It was the clearest form of water either of them had ever seen in their lives as it shone beautifully when the sun hit it, like priceless gems.

"How did you find this place?" asked Gaara, still mesmerized by the beauty in front of him.

"I was just out training one day by myself and I stumbled across it. You two are the first I've ever shown this to since I've found it."

"Then why show us?" asked Naruto. From what he remembered Tsunade telling him, the people of this village and country valued water above all else. It was their lifeblood. So if she hasn't told anyone else aside from them just now, then she could get in major trouble if others found out about this.

Temari remained silent for a moment, digesting his question. "I honestly don't know. I knew we were going out to play today and I figured you both would like to see something new for once."

Naruto could see right through her. Her reasoning may be slightly true as she just stated, but he figured it was more akin to the reason she gave at the dumpling shop. She wanted to show this place to the friends she never had.

"Thanks." he told her. She nodded, "Have you swam in it yet?" he inquired. Out of the corner of their eyesight, they both watched Gaara wander off over to the plant life, specifically the flowers.

She shook her head. "No."

"Even though no one else knows about it?"

The blonde nodded. "That's right. I just wanted something of my own, even if it was this." she explained. "I eventually plan to tell my father of this."

A sly grin made it's way onto Naruto's face as he stopped at the edge of the water. "I see."

Temari turned away from him and looked to her brother and before she could join him, she felt a cold refreshing substance hit her face.

"Splash!"

She turned around to see the redhead splashing her with water. "What are you doing!?"

"It's pretty obvious. I'm splashing you with water." he stated. "C'mon, don't tell me you haven't ever thought about doing this with friends."

"That's not the point!"

"I bet that felt really refreshing~" he said, splashing her again. "C'mon, you showed us this for a reason. Why not take advantage of it before you tell you dad and he takes it away from you."

"Stop making so much sense!" yelled Temari. Of course she had wanted to do this type of thing with friends, but saying and doing are very different. And if it ever got out that she actually did this, then she as the oldest would get the brunt of the punishment.

While the two were continuing to bicker about who was right and wrong, Gaara plucked one of the few flowers and took a sniff.

"It smells really nice..." he mumbled.

Moving a bit closer to the other flowers, he spotted something on the ground. He wasn't sure what it was, perhaps some kind of animal? Pushing forward further, he could see that whatever it was it was still alive since it was moving.

Upon even closer inspection, he finally realized what he was looking at and let out a girly scream.

"Aah!"

He jumped clear into the water.

Naruto and Temari halted their conversation when they heard the scream and watched him jump into the water. The Uzumaki followed the trail he had left and spotted just what had caused the shriek. From his angle, he spotted a rotting carcass being devoured by numerous insects which inadvertently made the creature being eaten still look like it was alive.

"Bwahahahaha!" he burst out laughing. "Oh man! That was priceless!" he continued to laugh to his hearts content as he began to wheeze, it was that funny.

"Stop laughing at him!" shouted Temari, defending her brother.

Gaara had resurfaced for a breath of air when he heard his sister.

"I'm sorry..." Naruto continued to chuckle. "It's just, the timing of it was so perfect, and then his reaction to it was just..." he began to laugh again. If he had been swimming in the water, then chances were he may have drowned because he was laughing so hard.

Temari glared at the redhead and then looked to her brother, sticking out her hand. "C'mon, get out of the water and I'll help you dry off." said the elder sister. He didn't, "Gaara, you know you can't stay in there-"

"Oi oi, don't get all angry at him just because he has the guts to do something you don't." stated Naruto. "I mean c'mon, you won't even splash someone and you don't even have to be in the water to do it!"

She was giving Naruto the dirtiest glare she could muster. Temari was conflicted. On the one hand, she absolutely wanted to go swimming with her friends, but on the other, she would get in trouble.

"C'mon, you're not a chicken, are ya?" Naruto splashed her again and began making clucking sounds at her. "And besides, if you're going to get in trouble for keeping this a secret anyways, then you might as well make it worthwhile."

Naruto's latest argument seemed to have pushed her over the edge as it made the most sense. She put her fan down on the ground and began to splash Naruto and Gaara.

The redhead grinned largely at her and then began to splash her back.

* * *

Pakura sighed.

She's been out for about three hours now, searching for the children after they had left the residence of the Kazekage. From what she's learned by going around and asking people questions, she knew they were somewhere just outside of the village, perhaps a few miles at best, but not where exactly.

Time wasn't of the essence for her right now, but she really would like to get back to her previous task before she was assigned this small mission. In the next few days, she would be heading to Kirigakure as an envoy for her village to promote peace between the two and she needed to prepare her things to make sure all went well.

_xxx_

The scorch release user had just finished paying a visit to the greenhouse a little more than fifteen minutes ago, where eye witnesses told her the children had stopped. She didn't find them outside, nor inside when she checked. All she found inside was one half of the respected elders who chased her out of the greenhouse.

She did gain some information from the elder inside, stating she saw some children heading towards open desert a few hours ago.

Pakura frowned after she had heard this as any tracks that might have led her to the children were now most likely gone since sand is easily blown away by strong winds. She would just have to hope that she was taking the same path the children did.

_'Where the heck are they?'_

"Haha!"

_'Found them!'_

She kicked into high gear and rushed over a small hill of sand and peered down below. There they were, playing near a small body of water in an oasis. As far as she could see, all of them were fine and uninjured which boded well for her leader.

The man had been worried about any of them getting injured or worse, especially the Uzumaki. He was by no means afraid of Konoha, but he had to think of his village and people first and going to war against the top village was suicide, at the moment.

Pakura silently studied the three and found what her leader said to be true. His children were indeed getting closer as the days dragged on and Gaara seemed much more stable than he was before. They both suspected it was due to the influence of the redheaded boy as she herself had seen it personally when at the playground all those months ago.

It was such a surreal feeling for her, just watching the children be children. All of them without a care in the world down there, much like her own apprentice. Deciding it was time to reveal herself, she cleared her throat loud enough for them to hear.

They stared up at her with wide eyes.

"Uh-oh!"

"Indeed." replied Pakura.

She slid down the sand dune and came to a halt in front of them, giving each of them a stern look.

"So..." she began. "Does anyone want to explain to me what is not only going on here but why you're all out of the village?"

It was obvious none of them wanted to answer as none of them could look her in the eye. All of them knew the ramifications of what they were doing. Her gaze landed on the oldest of the bunch.

"Temari..." sighed Pakura. "You of all people should know just how important a new water source is for our village and just how dangerous it can be out here. Yet here I find you playing and wasting a resource." said the Jōnin, shaking her head in disappointment.

"I'm sorry." mumbled the eldest of the bunch.

"I am not the one you should be apologizing or explaining this situation to." she replied. "You know of whom I speak of, yes?"

All she received was a glum nod.

"Then let us be off."

The trio of children remained quite as they followed after Pakura.

* * *

– _**Kazekage's Office –**_

* * *

The Kazekage had been sitting down for the past five minutes as Pakura had given her report of what she had learned from others and from the kids. It all coincided together. He sighed deeply and looked over the children.

His youngest son refused to meet his stare as his daughter and the third who stood by the sannin did meet his eyes. Despite the situation and the predicament they were in, he was pleased to see two who would stand their grounds and accept their fate. It showed just how well they were trained.

"I am slightly mad that I must hear the information of an oasis so near our village months after it's discovery." stated Rasa to his daughter. "However, even more than that, I am disappointed in you and the decisions you made today."

Temari merely blinked and kept her eyes closed, knowing those words were meant for her. That one word hurt more than anything else he ever told her. She would rather he be mad than disappointed.

"I'm sorry."

"Really now?" questioned Rasa. "I find that a bit farfetched since you not only seemed content with wasting a precious resource, but endangering not only your life, but two others as well."

That was the last straw for Naruto. He couldn't take this anymore. He stepped forward.

"It was my idea." he stated. "I was the first to play with the water and pressured the other two to follow my actions. It was also my own choice to follow wherever she led me. I'm sorry." he bowed his head in apology.

Rasa simply stared at the child of Konoha for a moment. The boy had obviously just told him a lie, but it was well constructed as it had hints of truth here and there, and he may have been inclined to believe it had the boy not known his children for a few months. Temari sent him a grateful look which did not go unnoticed by the adults.

"I see, then it appears my daughter's will to resist is weak and in need of more training then." he stated. "And you should learn that blindly following another without first knowing of your destination can lead you to trouble with repercussions for not only yourself, but for others as well."

Naruto frowned when he heard this and stopped bowing to the man. He lifted his head up and simply stared at the man with his piercing blue eyes, defiantly.

Tsunade saw the look in the redhead's eyes and stepped forward. She placed her hands on his shoulders, giving him a silent message of not saying a word.

Rasa watched her and the boy and simply sighed. He knew the boy wanted to say something to him but he waved them off, allowing them to leave the room. He didn't want to deal with another headache.

"Oh and Pakura is being sent on a mission in a few days so she will no longer be your caretaker. I'm assigning another of my men to watch over you. His name is Yashamaru."

Tsunade merely nodded in return.

Naruto sent one last look to Temari and mouthed "I'm sorry" to her. She saw it and sent him a small smile and a grateful nod.

She mouthed "Thank you" back to him. She really was thankful he was her friend as nobody had ever stuck up for her, nor when it was against her father either.

He nodded and was then led out of the room.

* * *

"What you said in there was reckless, Naruto." scolded Tsunade.

"She is my friend." he stated, stubbornly.

Tsunade sighed. "I understand that, but you can't just do that in a foreign village. I know your still a child, but you need to understand you are a son of a kage as well. Your actions here today may well affect the people of Konoha later on down the line." she explained. It was the reason why she had held back during their initial meeting. She normally wouldn't take anyone's bullshit, but she had to act differently since she was teaching again and under the employ of the Hokage as well.

If she hadn't been, then she would have told the man to fuck off when he thought he could walk all over her. If she wasn't working for Minato, then she would have applauded his son for his act back there since it seemed to have annoyed the man.

Naruto grimaced when he thought about what she just said. He hadn't thought of the people of his village, or what his words here could mean for them if things ever did get bad. But could he sacrifice one person for the sake of thousands of others?

"She is my friend."

The answer was simple, no he couldn't.

"Okay brat, I get it." she sighed again. "Then just become powerful enough that you can save your friend while protecting everyone else, despite what you say or do." she said. It was the reason her grandfather, Senju Hashirama, could put into practice what he preached.

Tsunade saw the fire begin to burn in his eyes and knew the look of determination when she saw it.

"People I've spoken to often say you act more like your father, but clearly you have inherited certain qualities from your mother as well." she stated. They weren't bad qualities to have, but she was positive that somewhere down the line on this journey, it would get them into trouble.

Naruto had a smile when he heard what his master said.

"C'mon, let's get back to the inn so Shizune and I can get your training started."

He nodded and sent one last look back at the office before following after his teacher.

* * *

– _**Three Months Later –**_

* * *

Naruto sighed. He had been doing so for the past three months since the incident involving him, Temari, and Gaara. He had yet to see either of his friends in all that time, not even Kankurō who wasn't even there.

_'They're probably still in trouble.'_

He grimaced since that's probably what happened, and it was partly because of him. He himself hated getting in trouble with his own parents, and they were nice. He couldn't imagine what getting in trouble with Temari's dad was like.

_'He's probably training them into the ground as punishment.'_

The Uzumaki heir wasn't sure if this was the case or not, but from what he's heard about the man from his own kids, it seemed likely. That or they were just ignoring him for the past few months.

Since none of them had made appearances, he was left with a lot of free time to himself, and all he did was train. Mostly training what he already knew until it was second nature to him. That, and to mostly keep his mind off of the fact that someone he knew, albeit briefly, had died out in the field. The woman who had first shown them their inn and had brought them back to the Kazekage, Pakura, had died out over in Kirigakure. It was a shock to his system and all he could really do was try to move on.

_'Today is another bust.'_

As he was beginning to make his way back to the inn after his daily scouting for his friends was finished, he spotted three familiar people.

"Hey!" he called out. What luck he had.

Temari, Kankurō, and Gaara all turned around when they heard someone calling out to them. Naruto ran over to them.

"Where have you guys been hiding?" he asked. "I've been looking for you for the past few months."

"We weren't exactly hiding." answered Temari. "Try being punished for the past incident. All we've been doing is training for the past three months, nonstop."

Kankurō grumbled something unintelligible when this so-called incident was brought up. He was just sour that he had been punished alongside them when he didn't even get to play with the water. It was totally unfair.

"Sorry." he muttered. "Anything I can do to make up for opening my mouth that day?"

Temari waved him off. "It's fine. The fact that you tried to take the fall for half of my mistake is enough." she said. "Though, if you really wanted to make it up to me personally, I do have an idea..."

Kankurō and Gaara were wondering just where their sister was going with this. They hadn't spoken about any of this when they were out looking for him.

"Name it."

Temari smiled widely. "Have a spar with me."

She had grown much stronger, or at least as strong as a girl her age could currently get, and she wanted to test herself. The only way to do that was to go against someone whom she had yet to fight against and who was being taught by another kage level ninja in Tsunade of the sannin.

"So, what do you say?" she inquired. "Or are you chicken?" she taunted, throwing it right back in his face after all these months.

Naruto was surprised she wanted to fight him, but who was he to refuse. After all, Tsunade said it was okay for him to do so until he was fully initiated as a medical-nin.

"You got yourself a partner."

She grinned widely and gave him instructions on the exact location were to meet her.

* * *

Naruto was standing across Temari as the duo stared at the other with as much concentration as they could muster. He had been able to tell she's been wanting to fight him ever since she found out who his teacher was and he could see it was still burning as bright as ever.

Aside from her two siblings who were present when she issued the challenge, three others were present as well. In his corner he had his two teachers. On her corner standing beside her brothers was her father, looking as stern as ever.

It had been agreed upon by the adults that this would be a private match witnessed only by them and it was for that reason they were out in the desert. Rasa had guided the group to a private location that was surrounded on all sides by massive sand dunes.

Rasa stepped forward and gave each combatant a look, though Naruto was sure the one he sent his daughter was more significant.

"This is a sparring match only." he announced. "I will announce when this match is over, but if Tsunade-dono feels a substantial injury is about to occur or even a death, then she will end the match as is her right as a medic. Am I understood?"

"Yes!" answered both combatants.

"Any questions before we begin?"

"Are weapons allowed?" questioned Temari, gripping her fan.

Rasa looked to Naruto. "I can deal with weapons." stated the redhead.

"So be it. Weapon usage is allowed. Are the two of you ready?" he asked. He got nods, "Begin!"

Temari immediately unfurled her fan and swung it towards the ground, creating a sand cloud in-between the two of them. Naruto quickly figured out she was trying to disorient him.

_'Dang it! Where is she!?'_

The lone Uzumaki kept one hand over his mouth to avoid breathing anything in and causing his throat some misery while his other hand was trying to cover his eyes. He couldn't afford to remove either or he could put himself at a disadvantage and he couldn't just walk out since he didn't know where she was.

"_**Fūton: Daitoppa(Great Breakthrough)!"**_

_'Uh-oh!'_

He wasn't surprised to hear that she could use a c-rank wind technique, not with the way they train their ninja out here. Before he could jump out of the way of the attack, he felt a force pelt him straight out of the cloud and into open daylight. He was lucky she couldn't apply more chakra to the attack or else it could have been worse.

Opening his eyes again, he squinted again due to the sunlight hitting them. They cleared and he then spotted her, moving her fan for another attack. Acting quickly, he removed a few kunai and shuriken from a pouch and threw them at her mid-swing.

_Clang!_

He had disrupted her momentarily but she once more got back into the swing of things. He knew her fan gave her an advantage of not using handseals sometimes, so for now he needed to come up with a plan and the first part was not getting hit again. He ran through his own handseals.

_'Doton: Doryūheki(Earth-Style Wall)'_

Naruto had learned long ago to never call out the name of a technique by Tsunade. It basically told the opponent your location and how they could counter you. He of course still had minor miscues but those were mostly him muttering the attack at times.

A small wall of earth rose up from beneath the sand, obscuring him from Temari's vision. He had a small reprieve from her attacks, but he needed to make sure it counted. Her previous attack blew right past him as he felt the wind current rush past him.

"Grr..."

Temari didn't like how this was going so far. First she had failed to capitalize when he had been knocked down on the ground. Had been stopped mid-swing by his projectiles, and now couldn't get an attack in edgewise due to his earth element. Her wind element was practically useless right now, and she just couldn't rush him either since she didn't know what he was planning.

Plus, she was positive should she fail in her direct attack, her father would punish her for her stupidity and the training she was already doing would be doubled. However, there was some good. Naruto was just as stuck as she was, him more so since he hid behind a wall.

The young redhead poked his head out from behind his wall and immediately ducked right back in after Temari swung her fan again.

"_**Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu(Wind Cutter Technique)!"**_

Her wind technique slashed at his wall and left but only a scratch.

"It's going to take more than a scratch to penetrate this wall!" he called out to her. "You wouldn't be able to do it even in a million years!" he taunted.

"Rah!"

Naruto could hear her anger and frustrations, heck, he could feel them from his side of the wall. The first step in his plan was complete; piss her off. That was another thing he had learned from Shizune who told him angry opponents were usually sloppy opponents. He risked another peek and found it safe for the moment, and began to count the distance between the two of them.

_'Hm, about twelve feet give or take.'_

Recounting the steps in his head, he decided to add another three feet to it just in case. It was always better to measure twice and cut once after all.

"I advise you to give up, Temari!" announced Naruto. "My next two attacks will end this!"

"Hmph! Cockiness does not suit you, Naruto!"

It wasn't cockiness when he knew it was true. He had given the option and she refused. He went through his handseals.

_'Doton: Yomi Numa(Swamp of the Underworld)'_

He slammed his hands on the semi-cool shaded ground and began to recall the distance between the two of them.

Temari all the while had failed to realize that a miniaturized bubbling swamp was forming underneath her feet.

All those spectating knew the fight was over once she had gotten captured. It didn't matter if she had yet to realize it or not. In a real battle, her chances for survival were slim to none. Of course, that being said, she did know how to replace herself. The only question that needed to be asked was whether she realized her situation and replaced herself first or her opponent acted before she did.

Naruto looked out once more and could see his attack had formed beneath the soles of her footwear and knew it was time.

Temari was taken by surprise when the redhead suddenly revealed himself and blitzed her. Before she could swing her fan, she felt something hit her stomach very hard. Looking down, she found a wooden pole embedded into her belly and before she knew it, she felt it tap behind her knees and felt herself falling backwards.

A soft pressure was felt on her neck and her eyes met Naruto's own blue ones.

"Yield."

Naruto's staff was pressed against her and she knew she had lost. If this had been real, she would be dead, or worse. So she did the only thing she could.

"I admit defeat."

As soon as the words left her mouth Naruto fell to his knees.

"Oh thank you." he said. She looked at him confused, "That was my very first fight with someone who was actually trying to injure me. So I was kinda nervous." he chuckled.

Temari closed her eyes as she digested this information. From the way he moved, she had figured he had been in at least a few spars before, but apparently not. Today was his first.

She had just lost to a newbie.

* * *

_**End of Chapter Three**_

* * *

_**3rd chapter is in the books folks. What did you think?**_

_**Introduced Temari, Kankurō, and Rasa(4th Kazekage). How was the ending fight scene?**_

_**Okay, so that scene with Gaara and him jumping into the water. That actually happened to a friend of mine when I was younger. We were out tossing my Nerf whistling football around and it landed in some bushes. He peeked inside while I was watching and he began to reach for it when he realized it wasn't the ball and he let out a shriek. Never laughed so hard in my life. Just thought I'd share.**_

_**REVIEW!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Apprenticed To A Slug**_

_**Yo! Here's the fourth chapter.  
**_

– "Katon" – Regular Speech

– _'Suiton' – Flashback/Thought Speech_

– _**'Raiton' – Demon/Summon Speech**_

– "_**Doton" – Jutsu Speech**_

_**Chapter Four**_

* * *

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**_

* * *

Temari sighed heavily as she looked up at the blue sky, laying completely still on the sand, thinking of just how she had lost exactly. Her eyes suddenly widened and her head snapped up when she felt a warm sensation entering her body. Looking up, she spotted Naruto and his glowing hands over her stomach.

"Can you lift up your shirt?"

It took her a full second to process what he had asked of her and she blushed scarlet in embarrassment, but soon that embarrassment turned to anger.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked, her voice dangerously low.

Naruto was of course unaware and pushed forward.

"I said, can you lift up your shirt so I can address the spot where my staff hit you."

That same anger that had bubbled only a few seconds ago began to ebb away when she heard the full reason. "Sorry." she mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" she replied, quickly. The eldest daughter of the Kazekage did as she was asked and lifted up her shirt a tiny bit and grimaced at what she saw. It hadn't even been five minutes yet and already the bruise she had received from the staff was turning a very ugly color.

"Sorry for this." apologized Naruto. "I still don't know how much strength I'm adding when I use my staff since I'm still learning." he explained. His hands began to hover a bit closer to her skin.

"It's okay." she muttered, blushing again. Her eyes were watching his hands as they were directly above her now and his chakra just felt really nice. She needed to snap out of this, "You're a great fighter!" she blurted out.

He chuckled a bit, grinning at her which she had to look away from. She was so embarrassed by that outburst just now. This wasn't like her dammit!

"Nah, I'm not that strong yet." he replied. "I couldn't help you all those months ago. Once I'm strong enough, I'll be able to help you and everyone else, regardless of the choices I make in the future."

Temari stared up at him in awe. She couldn't believe he already had such determination, and he was younger than her.

"Plus, it helps when I have two great teachers who make me practice over and over again."

Now she could see just how humble he was and giving credit where it was due. Her respect for him rose then and there.

"There you go." he said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I've tried to fix as many broken capillary's as I could to stop the hemorrhage around the area, but now what I need you to do is rest. Also, try not to poke the area since it is still tender and will cause some minor discomfort."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Congratulations on your victory." said the Kazekage, a frown on his face. He didn't like it when someone of his blood lost, but he would make an exception this time. Reason being was simple. His daughter lost to someone whose pedigree not only matched hers but so did nearly their skill in combat. If she had lost to someone of inferior quality in which luck played a factor, then he would be singing a different tune.

"Thank you." replied the redhead.

Rasa nodded at the young man. "Come, Temari. We are heading home so we can discuss this bout in further detail and how you will improve from it." Temari nodded at her father and then looked back at her opponent.

"I want another fight against you."

"So do I!"

Former sparring partners looked at Kankurō as he had been the one to speak. All of them stopped to look at him.

"Really?" snorted the elder sister. "If you can't beat me, then you definitely can't beat him."

"Can to!" exclaimed the puppeteer-in-training. He looked to his father, "Can I?"

Rasa stared into his middle child's face. "I'm afraid not." he answered. "The reason is simple. You don't have a combat puppet ready to fight with, and even if you did, it would still take you years to learn how to fight properly with it."

"Aw..."

"It's okay, Kankurō." said Naruto. "When you have a puppet ready then I'll fight you. By that time we'll both be super strong and it will be a great spar between the two of us. How does that sound?"

The puppeteer's eyes lit back up again when he heard this. "Yeah! That's a promise."

Rasa, Tsunade, and Shizune all watched the interaction between the two and were simply astounded at how quickly the redhead turned the situation around. With but a few words and a promise he was able to solve the problem.

_'He certainly has a very strong type of charisma about him.'_ thought the adults.

Naruto turned to his first friend in the village. "What about you, Gaara?" he asked. "Do you want a spar in the future?"

Now it was Rasa's eyes that widened when he heard the question. He looked at his youngest child. As of late, he had seen those small changes he had noticed months ago now being shown fully by the boy. The way he greeted others, even if they did not offer him the same courtesy, or even when he smiled. That was perhaps the hardest and most joyful thing he had seen as it reminded him so much of his long deceased wife.

All of this was thanks to the Uzumaki boy who had taken the first step. He patiently waited to see what his son would say.

"I..." Gaara stopped mid-sentence. "...Would like to try."

A small smile appeared on Naruto's lips. "Then I suggest you start training with your family."

The Kazekage read in-between the lines and knew what he was trying to do. The Uzumaki knew he was going to personally train Temari and Kankurō and now he gave him an option of doing the same with Gaara. Only question was, would he take it.

His youngest looked to him. "I...will allow it." he finally said. "But only if you can show me that you are indeed serious about this." he finished.

Gaara gave him the biggest smile he had ever seen.

"Thank you, father."

Rasa simply nodded. "Then let us be off. We have much planning to do if the three of you wish to challenge him again."

Naruto watched the family leave together and he grinned once more. He turned to Tsunade and Shizune.

"Let's go back to the inn so we can rest and then get started on training again." he said, hyped up.

Tsunade resisted the urge to roll her eyes and sigh at the rambunctious demeanor of her student. She really wished he hadn't so brazenly accepted or created new challenges for himself since he himself was still learning under her, but she supposed it would be good for him in the long run. Shizune was the complete opposite of her master and was already thinking of new things to teach him that would give him an edge.

* * *

– _**Six Months ****Later –**_

* * *

_'I can't believe it's already January, and an entire year since we've been here.'_ thought Naruto, packing his things.

It only felt like days ago since they celebrated the new year with the Kazekage and his family. Whether he had learned all the desert could offer was up for debate since it was up to Tsunade's discretion of what she felt he needed to learn out here and since they were leaving she must have felt he had. He was positive that had played a factor but he also remembered the statement his teacher had made when the Kazekage had asked how long they would be staying.

Unfortunately because their time was indeed up, he had to say goodbye to his first friends, that were his age, and he didn't like that. He wished they could have stayed longer, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. Their next location was a minor village compared to Suna located in the Land of Bearsi. The village itself was called Hoshigakure.

Neither Tsunade or Shizune would tell him the real reason why they were traveling there. The only thing they told him was that they themselves had been wanting to go there for a while to study something they had heard was killing people. He couldn't really complain for if his two teachers were curios about something medically, then he was curious as well.

The only regret, not even a regret really, it was more of a wish. He just wished he could have sparred more with Temari. After their initial spar, the two of them had fought a combined twelve more times and it was currently tied at six a piece with their next fight settling the score.

She had been tougher with each fight as she learned from her wins but even more so from her losses against him. Temari was quickly becoming a long-range fighter, especially after he started using minor seals to entrap her, though she quickly learned to avoid them.

He hadn't fought with Kankurō yet since he wasn't ready, nor was his newest puppet. That being said, just because they hadn't fought yet didn't mean he didn't know what the puppeteer-in-training was up to. He had been with his friend a few times when he was creating his puppet and he saw not only how complicated it was to create one, but just how many little nasty surprises were packed into it. One of the things he had seen packed into the puppets mouth were senbon needles.

From finding out that information, Shizune had taken it upon herself to teach him how to use those very same needles after she heard him talking about it. She would have taken it a step further and instructed him how to add different toxins to the tips but felt he wasn't ready for that yet. So she had only shown him how to throw them for now.

Those were the good times in Suna, but with the good times came the bad. Those were very few in number but those that did happen were very scary.

The first time he had encountered a problem was when he had been passing by the greenhouse as he had been searching for his friends, and instead encountered someone else. That crazy lady that Temari had told him about had verbally attacked by calling him names which he just ignored but when she started calling his master names, he lost it.

He got into a shouting match with a little old lady, whom he later found out was one half of the elders of Suna named Chiyo. The elderly woman kept badmouthing his master and kept spouting off things about her past and the slug woman countering her during the 2nd war. As the shouting match between them had kept going, the old lady had pretended to die on him while they were shouting, and that scared him beyond belief. His anger had returned when she had suddenly popped back up and began laughing at him for falling for her prank. He hadn't talked or ran into her since that day. Though that showed him that he really needed to prepare for worst case situations if they ever arose and he alone alone was the only person able to do something about it.

However, that paled in comparison to what had happened between him and Gaara. Unlike his older brother who wasn't ready to fight yet, he could. Unfortunately, they never got to that spar as mere minutes before the fight something had happened that canceled the spar. The staff that had been made for him by the man who was to be his godfather had caused something within Gaara to snap. The staff had touched Gaara on his mark and it all hit the fan after that.

Gaara had screamed like he was in pain, holding his head, as a crazed look entered his eyes. He remembered massive amounts of sand rushing at him and his teachers screaming his name. He would have died that day if he hadn't been used to moving out in the sand. That same staff that had caused all of that ended up saving his life as well. His master had taken hold of it and used it to knock his friend out while the Kazekage held his son down with his own sand before applying a seal on him.

_'I still don't know how she was able to use it when it should only recognize my chakra...?'_

That was a question he would need to ask his master when they were alone. After that had happened, he hadn't really spoken to Gaara since then, and it wasn't because he hated him or anything. He was just constantly being checked on by Tsunade and Shizune mostly. He wanted to tell his friend that it was all just a freak accident and that he doesn't blame him for anything. Stuff happens out in the field that a person has to adapt to. It was one of the lessons he had learned from his teachers.

"Are you ready, Naruto?" asked Tsunade, her own gear already packed.

"...Yeah, I'm ready."

She nodded. "Good, let's get going."

* * *

– _**Entrance into Sunagakure –**_

* * *

The trio, who were being escorted by Suna anbu, were finally at the gates that led into the village and their current way out. Standing just inside the village border were his friends.

"Yo." greeted Kankurō.

"Hey guys." replied Naruto.

Gaara was refusing to meet his eyes.

"We're sad to see you leave, but we understand that you're done here and moving on." said Temari. "I want you to take this." She handed him some of the village dumplings they had shared months ago.

"Thanks." he said, moving onto Kankurō.

"I don't have anything for ya except that promise we made to challenge each other when we meet again." said the puppeteer-in-training.

"That's fine. I expect you to be strong when we meet next time though." said Naruto, shaking hands with his friend. Naruto stopped in front of Gaara.

"I'm sorry..." muttered the youngest sand sibling. "I understand if you don't want to be my friend after what I did to you..."

The Uzumaki heir didn't say anything and simply walked up to his friend and gave him a hug.

"There isn't anything to apologize for." he replied. "Things simply just got out of hand and we both ended up suffering for it." he said. "I don't blame you and neither should you."

Before Gaara could respond, he was cut off.

"I want you to promise me something." Naruto looked directly into Gaara's eyes. "The next time we meet, I want you to be strong, so strong that things like what happened before don't happen anymore. Can you promise me that?"

Gaara began to cry and nodded his head.

"Good." he told him. "I'll see you guys later."

He bid goodbye to everyone, waving to them as he and the others marched out of the village and into the desert.

* * *

"...You know it was his fault, right." said Tsunade. She still remembered screaming his name and using the staff to knock the other boy out. "Nobody should react in such a way from a wooden staff touching them." she stated.

"I know." replied the redhead.

"Then why?"

"Because he didn't need to hear that." stated Naruto. "I still remember how he acted when I first met him. The stares he got from those around him, knowing he was there but never acknowledging his existence. Over time he began to open up to his family and vice versa, and had I said something negative, then everything would have went downhill for him. He's one of my first friends and I want him to be happy."

Tsunade sighed, shaking her head. "You are a very nice boy, Naruto-kun." said Shizune, smiling at him.

"Perhaps a bit too nice." muttered the sannin. The brat had almost died on her watch and it had scared the living daylights out of her. She would never admit it out loud, but she liked the brat and didn't want to see his life cut so short.

"By the way, how were you able to use my staff if it's only supposed to recognize my chakra?"

"That staff is made out of very special wood that my grandfather grew for my old sensei. It only makes sense it would work for me since I have his blood running through my veins." she explained. "And though you hold more Uzumaki blood, you are still part Senju since the two clans are cousins, so that is also why I could use it since we share some blood."

"Oh, I see." replied the heir of whirlpools. He knew who her grandfather was, everyone who lived in Konoha did, though his in-depth knowledge on the man was lacking. "Why did Gaara respond the way he did?"

"...I'm...not entirely sure but I do have a theory..." mentioned the slug princess.

"Can you tell me?"

She shook her head. "Can't. It's a secret on a need to know basis, and you don't need to know." Plus, she was sure the anbu shadowing them would inform Minato anyways of what she thought they had just had a run in with. If it turned out she was right then she knew a very big secret of Suna's and that could potentially make them targets, plus she wasn't sure how she would handle the situation if the brat ever found out since she was fairly sure his parents hadn't explained his birth in full detail to him yet.

"Aw, fine. Be that way." he pouted.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Anyways, let's get a move on."

* * *

– _**Four Months Later –**_

* * *

"Are we there yet?" drawled out the young redhead.

"For the hundredth time, NO!" shouted Tsunade, rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration. "We'll get there when we get there..."

"Fine, geez. Don't need to be so grouchy about it...you grouch." he muttered.

Shizune grimaced when she heard her kōuhai say that about their master as she thought the woman would have blown a fuse then and there at the comment. Somehow, she hadn't and she controlled herself, though her eye did twitch a bit.

The trio had been on the road for the past four months, passing through one country every month. They had finally reached their destined country, they just couldn't locate the village that was housed in it.

During their trip, he had begun to seal up any plant he recognized and gained knowledge on those he didn't from Shizune. All of them would go towards the development of a greenhouse in Konoha if no such place existed. Apart from doing that on his own, he was only taught one new skill in all of that time while continuing to polish everything else.

"How are you coming along in your dissections, Naruto-kun?" inquired Shizune. It had been about a month after they had left the village and it's country that her master had begun to teach him how to use a chakra scalpel for anatomical dissections, and future surgeries.

"I'm doing...decent." he finally got out. It wasn't that he had a fear of blood or anything since it would be silly for someone who wanted to work in this field to have such a fear.

Tsunade sneezed.

No, he just didn't like having to cut open flesh; be it human or animal, dead or alive. It just wasn't a pleasant experience. The first thing he had to practice on were toads and he didn't know why, but his master had a huge smile on her face and kept muttering something about perverts when she had first demonstrated it to him.

Cutting into toad skin was like cutting into a piece of rubber. It made an awkward sound and gave him an even more awkward feeling when he dug into it. He was trying to get better at it, but it was a slow process.

"Well you better buck up brat." hollered the sannin. "You never know when a skill like that is going to come in handy."

Naruto just nodded, remembering what she told him about always being prepared for any different kind of situation that may arise.

"Hey, did you ever find out about my staff and Gaara?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Nope, still looking into it." replied Tsunade. Of course she knew, she just wasn't going to tell him on express orders from Minato. Like she had predicted, the anbu that was watching over them had indeed reported that particular situation to his leader and he had came to the same conclusion she had after reading over her grandfather's notes on the Bijū. In his notes he had stated that some of the chakra monsters reacted differently than others did when he used his bloodline on them, and the way Gaara had reacted had all but confirmed what he was; a jinchūriki.

"Oh, okay." he replied downtrodden, hoping she had something. "You'll let me know when you do, right?"

She nodded. Minato had told her that he wanted his son to hear the full story from his mouth and at home. Of course, that didn't mean he was naive enough to believe something couldn't happen on the trip that would bring that secret to light, so he had given her permission to explain it to him if it ever arose.

"C'mon, let's pick up the pace. I think we're almost there."

* * *

"Sooo, who wants to go first?" he asked, chuckling at their predicament.

The group had hit a bit of a snag in their attempt of trying to continue forward. There was a large chasm in front of them. A chasm that had lots of fumes. Fumes that looked like it would kill them should they try to touch or inhale them.

"How about I chuck you across first..." growled Tsunade, not thinking the situation to be very funny.

"Er, no thanks. Chasms are bad for my health." he retorted cheekily.

Shizune smiled at him affectionately. It was amusing for her to see her master in such a state when dealing with the redhead. They certainly had a strange bond between them but one she knew her master cherished since she hadn't actually gone through with her threat.

"Little brat..."

"That's not a very good idea. Chucking him over the chasm I mean, what if he doesn't make it?" said an unknown voice. The group looked around and spotted a very interesting character. Judging by the height it was a kid but it was the gas mask on their face that rose the eyebrows.

"Trust me, this brat will make it." responded Tsunade. "I trust my own strength."

No sooner had she said those words did the unknown remove their mask, revealing a girl. She looked to be about two years older than Naruto. The girl was a looker and would be a bombshell when she got older. She had long violet hair that traveled all the way down to her lower back and had jade-green colored eyes. The girl was one of those few rare people who stood out on their looks alone, much like Naruto.

"You're Senju Tsunade!" screamed the girl, now having a better view without the gas mask. "One of the legendary sannin!"

"I am." replied Tsunade. "Who are you and where did you come from?"

"Ah, I came from Hoshigakure." replied the girl.

Before Tsunade could continue to question her, Naruto interrupted. "You know where the village is! Can you take us!?" he asked in rapid succession, completely ignoring the stink eye being given to him by his master.

The girl stopped gushing over one of her idols and narrowed her eyes. "Why do you want to go to Hoshi for?"

"We just want to help the people of your village. All of us here are medics or medics-in-training that can help." It was partially the truth. She had heard of the people of this village and all the amazing feats they could do with their chakra, but she also heard of the deaths which was what she was there to check out.

"Mm, I don't know." she muttered. "Though I'm sure the Hoshikage would be glad to know someone wanted to help our village and would be glad to host someone such as yourself."

_'Hoshikage? I thought there were only five kage's?'_

"I'll tell you about it later, Naruto-kun." said Shizune, being able to read his confused face.

He nodded and then looked back to the girl who was talking to his master. "By the way, you never gave us your name?"

"Ah, sorry about that. I was just excited about seeing such a person here in the flesh." she said. "My name is Natsuhi." she introduced herself just as two wings sprouted from her back, both of them chakra in nature. "C'mon, I'll help you guys get across the chasm."

* * *

_**End of Chapter Four**_

* * *

_**Alright, that was chapter four. **_

_**I know that some of you might be questioning just why Naruto is learning so fast, but I assure you that I'm not just throwing it together. There is a plan in motion that started in the 1st chapter and continues to be shown, in small pieces. It will all make sense when it is revealed why he is learning so fast.**_

_**Also, I know I know. Natsuhi is supposed to be an adult, but I just couldn't help myself since the group was traveling to Hoshigakure. Will let you know this now, but she is not a pairing, though she will be part of the story more as you will come to find out in the next chapter.**_

_**REVIEW!**_


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